Promised Empire
by Tyramir
Summary: After the events of Search For The Promised One, Rufus Shinra furthers his quest for his Empire. Elsewhere, Avalanche must stop a new, unknown threat to the Planet, while Reeve and the Turks face off against an old enemy.
1. Haunting Dreams

Author's Note:

Reno: WOO HOO!

Reeve: Finally! We're back to doing the disclaimers on Final Fantasy 7 stuff! Where we belong!

Reno: HOO RAI!

Reeve: Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters. Now enjoy, folks!

Reno: You forgot something.

Reeve: What?

Reno: You forgot to remind the reader that this is a sequel.

Reeve: Oh, right. Right right. To any new readers, please check out Search For the Promised One first. We strongly recommend it. This fic will try to make the transition as painless as possible, but for back story purposes, you really should read it first.

Promised Empire

Chapter One

Haunting Dreams

Stars. How wonderously beautiful these pinpricks of light in a curtain of black can be. So simple, so small, so elegant, with the power to create galaxies and planets and lives, and just as easily smash those lives to pieces.

Rufus Shinra let out a disgruntled sound as the words came to his mind. He stood in his Junon office, staring out the window at the night sky musing to himself. This was completely unprofessional. He had decisions to make, meetings to plan, an Empire to consolidate.

Because that was what Shinra was now -- an Empire. Under his father's rule, it had been a mere corporation. A company that had supplied Midgar with the power and weapons it needed, that gave the city the ability to destroy the threat of Wutai. It had stepped into a war and ended it. Shinra had power, but it had been improperly used. Used to gather money. Foolishness. Money was but a means to an end, the end being more power.

But what to do with such power? Rufus mused.

The question had never really occured to him before. Power was to be had for power's sake. Or, at least, that's what he had thought before. But now, that power was needed. Needed desperately. A revolution was coming, and the President of Shinra could feel it in his blood. In his newly Mako-enhanced, Cetra-touched blood.

A revolution to change the world was coming. The Planet demanded it.

Rufus closed his eyes, and placed a hand over his face. Demanded? No one demanded anything of Rufus Shinra, not even the Planet. And yet... he could feel it calling to him. He let out a growl and whirled away from the window, tearing his thoughts from stars and planets and revolutions. He would have none of it.

Turning, he looked to his desk and frowned. On it sat a broken red Materia orb, cracked along its surface. It looked familiar, but he wasn't sure from where...

Beside it sat a pitcher filled with brightly glowing green liquid. Just looking at it made him thirsty, want to consume it, take it all and drink. But to do that was death, he knew. Somewhere in his mind, something cried out, telling him not to drink from it. But another part of him craved it just as much.

He would be forced to make a decision soon, he knew.

But for now, just as with the window and its stars, he tore his gaze from it and looked up, to the people surrounding his desk. Sycophants and followers all. The three who stood there belonged, but at the same time, didn't. Something felt oddly wrong. To one side was Heidegger, a large man dressed all in green, a scar across his bearded face. To the other was beautiful Scarlet, a woman nearly as mad as she was ambitious. And in the middle was the fat fool Palmer, a greedy man with an appetite larger than his stomach, if such a thing were possible.

All three smiled at him, and asked him what was the matter, if anything was wrong. He shook his head no, feeling very tired. He was surrounded by people who would seek to take his position at any moment, but something felt... wrong. He couldn't place it. He glanced at Palmer, who was beginning to move closer to him, and saw something that made him take a step backward.

For a second, barely there, was a gaping bullet wound in the middle of Palmer's forehead. In a brief flicker it was gone again, replaced by unmarred skin. Rufus frowned.

"What--?"

He looked over to Heidegger, who was also approaching him. The large man held out a hand to Rufus, as if offering assistance. For a small moment, the hand was charred black. Not even for a second was the sight there, and then it, too, disappeared, replaced with a normal hand.

Palmer was gesturing at the door leading outside the room, and Scarlet was holding it open. Something outside that door spoke of power. Of great power, a force unlike any other that would be given to him if he just went with them. Rufus squinted at Scarlet, and then, at least, she too, took on the appearance of someone horribly burned, maimed from some unspeakable fire.

Something was wrong. He knew that already, but the feeling filled him with dread. This wasn't right. Something about these three... something not right. He tried to remember. What had happened?

And then it occured to him. All three of these people were dead.

Why hadn't it come to him before?

Instinctively, he hurled himself away from them, taking a leap backwards, towards the window. In a moment, all three were rushing at him, arms outstretched, reaching for him, trying to tear at him with dead hands. They wanted him for something, but what, he didn't know. He would not let the dead have him!

He turned to face the window, and saw Reeve standing there, face calm. He held open a window for him, and was hurriedly gesturing for him to dive through it. Outside was the blackness of night, and somewhere below, the forever tides of the ocean. To leap out that window was death for certain. Rufus spared a glance backward, and saw the maddened faces of Scarlet, Heidegger and Palmer, all three still moving forward, rushing to stop him.

_I am not for the dead!_ he thought.

Trusting to Reeve's gesturing, the only man loyal to him, Rufus leaped through the window.

And found himself standing on a black platform in sunlight, overlooked a great plaza filled with people. All below him were masses of people, so many people. And they were all calling his name in exultation. Beside him stood Reeve. The window was gone, as was his office, and Junon. This was somewhere new... a place he did not recognize.

Buildings were all around him, made of crystal and ivory. It was a small city, and parts of it were in ruins. But it would be rebuilt, he knew. He would rebuild it himself. This was to be his. This was his destiny.

But something was missing. Something vital that he needed. Below were his followers, to his side was his faithful servant... no, _partner_... all around him was his city, but something still was missing. He looked down at the black platform, and saw it for what it truly was.

A hand. A giant, black hand. Rufus started, and followed it to its source. A giant black arm, attached to a giant black body, all sleek and beautiful. And green eyes. Obsidian Weapon.

It held him aloft for all to see, presenting him to the people as a savoir. But Obsidian, like Heidegger and Scarlet and Palmer was dead. Or at least, its shell was...

He knew what it all meant. What he must have before all of this could be accomplished. This was a dream. That was now a certainty he knew, but this was a prophetic dream, one that explained so much. When he awoke, all he had to do was remember....

--

Rufus awoke, sleep fading quickly from him and alertness taking over his body. Every part of him screamed and adrenaline filled him system. A dream indeed. But hazy, fog-filled. Not entirely there. But he remembered parts, the important ones.

He was in his chair back in his office. Somehow he had fallen asleep in this uncomfortable throne-like seat.

His intercom buzzed, and annoyed by the rude noise, he mashed the button.

"Yes?"

His secretary's voice erupted from the offending machine. "Mister Reeve is here to see you, sir. Shall I send him in?"

Reeve. In the wake of the dream, Rufus had forgotten that he still needed to tell Reeve the truth of his past. The right thing. The responsible thing. Part of him swallowed a feeling of disgust, but shrugged it off. This had to be done.

"Send him in," he said.

First Reeve... and then Rufus would have his Promised Empire.


	2. Aftermath

Author's Note:

Reno: Woo! Same day, and another chapter!

Reeve: I know! Tyramir is truly amazing!

Reno: We're only saying this because he's controlling us!

Reeve: Indeed!

Reno: I hate all this enthusiasm!

Reeve: Me too!

Reno: I feel like a puppet with Tyramir's hand up my -- !

Reeve: This is a PG-13 story!

Reno: Oh yeah!

Reeve: Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy!

Chapter Two

Aftermath

Slowly, ever so slowly, the sun peeked upon the horizon, bathing green hills in warm light. Just a few days ago, these hills had been dead, barren of life, but now they flourished with newfound vitality, a new energy to them that hadn'y existed since before the days of Shinra. This morning promised a new life, a new beginning. From here on in, this was a new era, one where man could look at his previous mistakes and never make them again.

Aeris smiled to herself as she watched the sun come up. It was a nice thought. Maybe entirely unfounded, but nice all the same. She really hoped that everything would be all right. But somewhere inside of her was the gnawing fear that it wouldn't.

The smile remained on her face, though. She had more than she could hope for. A new chance at life, despite her sacrifice to save the Planet. Odd how things had worked out. But in the end, Cloud had remained her faithful bodyguard until the end, ensuring that she could keep her second chance.

A brush of sadness touched her at that. The memory of Sephiroth, newly reborn alongside her, fighting Jenova, and falling in battle came to her. The white-haired warrior would never truly be equalled, only rivalled. Sacrificing himself for the world, he wouldn't get the same chance at life that she had. All he would ever have was a life ruined by Jenova, and when he finally atoned for that, he paid for it with his life.

"I think he prefered it this way."

Aeris whirled about at the voice, surprised that someone had snuck up on her so completely, disguising their presence so much that not even her Cetra intuition had warned her of an alien presence. From out of the shadows of one of the outer houses of Kalm stepped the form of the caped Vincent Valentine. His red eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness, absorbing the light and making their own.

"Pardon?" she asked, bewildered at his appearance.

"Sephiroth. Cid. Take your pick. I think he prefered it this way. Which one were you thinking of?" His voice was so quiet, yet it carried the distance between them so she could hear it clearly. She shivered. Out of all of her companions, Vincent was the only one that she was really distant from, and for good reason. Cold and aloof, she had never felt the need to bond with him like she had with the rest of Avalanche.

"Sephiroth," she answered, feeling guilty for it. Everyone else was in mourning for Cid, the pilot who had given his life to kill Shin Bahamut, the summoned monster that not even a Weapon could defeat. Had, in fact, given his life to kill the very monster that was so intent on destroying her while she had been trapped in the shell of Obsidian Weapon. Instead, she was mourning for the very man who had killed her.

Vincent nodded, as if her response were the most natural thing in the world.

"Where's everyone else?" Aeris asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

The former Turk frowned, answering, "Still hung over from the party last night."

"You didn't drink with them?" she asked. "They're your comrades. Shouldn't you have celebrated with them?"

"They're yours as well, and yet here you are."

Her smile almost faded, and she was determined to hold onto it. But he had a point. Then she noticed his bearing, the way he looked at the horizon. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

His eyes met hers immediately, scrutinizing her. She almost felt like she was being disected with his gaze, examined, weighed, and judged. "Yes. We're done here. I need to mourn as well, and I don't feel comfortable to do so with the group. It doesn't feel right."

"We are your friends. We should mourn Cid together."

A smile touched his lips. "Cid was my friend, but he is not the only one I will miss. Just as you have your own private thoughts of Sephiroth, I have my own private thoughts as well." He began to move, walking towards the sunrise with a brisk stride.

"Lucrecia." The word came from her lips before she could stop it. She may not have known Vincent that well, but everyone in Avalanche knew of his private love, his obsession for a woman who did not return his feelings.

The former Turk stopped in mid-stride, then turned to look at her once more. A solemn look gazed down on her. "Yes. I mourn for Lucrecia, the woman who was responsible for most of my pain, and the suffering of so many others. I will go apart from you, and remember the woman who tried to kill me."

"We're--"

He cut her off short. "No. No, it would not be right. I will come back to you one day, but for now, I must remain apart. If I am needed, I will be at Lucrecia's waterfall. But keep that to yourself until I am actually needed."

Aeris nodded, and she felt a part of her go out to him. He may be cold and unfeeling on the outside, but she knew now that deep down, on the inside, he cared more than the rest of Avalanche combined. He just didn't want anyone else to see it. She bowed her head, and stated, "Until we meet again, Mr. Valentine."

"Until we meet again, Ms. Gainsborough."

She watched him go, then turned back to face Kalm, and called out, "You can come out now, Nanaki."

A snort issued forth, followed soon after by Red XIII. "An interesting exchange. Why did you let him go?"

"He needs to be alone. While I'm certain that he values us, I'm just as certain that he needs to face this alone. At least, from his perspective, he needs to face this by himself. I think he feels that we might resent him for feeling the loss of one of our enemies."

The cat-like creature nodded. "An understandable sentiment, but not the one I was referring to."

"Pardon?"

"He smelled wounded. He doesn't go to tend to injuries of the heart. He leaves to tend to wounds of the body, inflicted by Lucrecia. There is much that is feline in that one, and like most felines, he goes to find a place where he either heals, or dies."

"What?" Aeris asked, bewildered. "We have to stop him, get him some real attention. We--"

"Can do nothing now. He's gone. His scent is already fading from the wind. There is as much unnaturalness to him as there is feline. I couldn't even hope to track him."

"But, he's just..." she turned, hoping to point out Vincent on the plains, where anyone from miles away should be able to see him. But he was already gone. Disappeared, as if into the very earth itself.

"A remarkable human, Vincent is," Red XIII said.

Aeris nodded numbly, her voice filled with worry. "Yes. Remarkable." She wasn't sure what else to say. She only hoped that the next time she saw Vincent that he would still be alive.


	3. Morning Musings

Reno: Hey, Rude! This chapter has you in it!

Rude: ...

Reno: Oh no. Not this again.

Rude: ...

Reno: My brain is unable to cope with your superior form of communication!

Rude: ...

Reno: Arg! God! My fragile cranium!

::Reno runs away screaming like a little girl::

Reeve: You know, that was worth the twenty bucks. Here you go, Rude.

Rude: ...

Reeve: Oh no, don't you...

Rude: ...

Reeve: Stop it! Stop it, I say!

Rude: ...

::Reeve snaps, collapsing to the floor, a gibbering mass of insanity::

Reno: Ahhhh!!!

Rude: Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Chapter Three

Morning Musings

Sleep was fuzzy. Tifa's head felt like it was packed with a very big wad of fluff, fluff that ached. She despised this feeling. Being a bartender for a few years in the Slums had given her many opportunities to sample the shelves -- and sample them she did on quite a few occassions she did. Whenever Avalanche had won some minor victory, always a celebration followed. But always in the morning she regretted the merry making.

So she lay in bed, head buried in her pillow, covers completely wrapped around her. She was going to sleep in today. Absolutely, positively going to sleep in. She would not allow anything to wake her up. Not even... well, maybe just a peek.

Slowly lifting her head from her pillow and opening her blankets only just enough for one eye to see through, she cast her glance over the open area of the inn room. There, she saw Rude, wearing only a loose pair of black pants, moving through a series of fluid, graceful movements. His hands, arms, legs, and even torso were forever in motion, twisting, arching, and stretching out, a series of combat moves that were put in a pattern of serenity and peace and less of one of violence. A small smile came to her lips as she watched him, taking in her morning ritual of the voyeur, watching him at practice. He was an excellent fighter, although not quite as good as her. She found the tiny errors that no one but a martial artist of her skill would see cute, almost endearing. Sort of like how a kitten would practice at pouncing, not quite getting it right, but always trying to match up to the adult cat. The smile widened at the thought. Rude would probably stiffen his back and assume his normal stoic expression if that had been voiced aloud, and would more than likely be a little offended. He took his abilities as a martial artist very seriously.

For a moment, she forgot her aching fuzz-filled head, but then it returned to her and she groaned. Rude abruptly stopped his practice, turning to a dresser and reaching for his sunglasses. He immediately put them on, and turned to face her. Always so self-concious about those Mako eyes of his. She didn't know why. She found the soft glow of the amber in his eyes to be quite attractive.

"You may continue," she said, a mocking tone in her voice.

He didn't respond verbally, but immediately set back to his practice. At one turn, he moved his hand just a few centimeters too far. On another, his balance shifted too much on one foot. She couldn't help but giggle. Stopping again, Rude turned to frown at her. He didn't have to saw it aloud. She couldn't read all of his little nuances yet, but she knew what that one meant. _Am I amusing you?_

She giggled harder, then began outright laughing as his expression changed to say, _What's so funny?_ It wasn't obvious. No one else would be able to see it. Always a shifting around the mouth, a twitching in the cheek. Almost imperceptable. But there.

She laughed at the little expressions on his face, and then stopped, groaning. She muttered darkly about the pain-fuzz in her head, and made sure to pull the blankets completely over her head. She heard Rude's soft footfalls on the floor cross the room, and then a liquid pouring into a glass. A second later, Rude was pulling the covers off of her and holding out a glass for her. She winced at the light, and mumbled something about Rude's impolite manner, then laughed. Rude acting rude.

Then the foulest tasting liquid was being poured down her throat, and she couldn't help but sputter and spit most of it out.

"Drink it," the Turk urged. "It'll help with the hangover."

She mumbled, then took the glass and drank it. It tasted absolutely _awful_, but anything that would help was appreciated. When she was done, she handed the glass back to Rude, nearly gagging.

"How is that supposed to help?" she asked hoarsely.

"It won't. But you'll remember it every time you think about drinking too much from now on."

She would have laughed if not for the absolutely foul taste in her mouth. Nearly vomiting, she flipped herself onto her stomach with a grunt.

"I am never drinking again," she stated, entirely meaning it.

After a moment, she heard Rude walk away, feather-light on the floor, and go back to his practice. Sulking, she refused to move the covers to look at him. She would _not_ succumb to watching him as he went through his patterns. No. He made her drink that disgusting 'cure.' She would not look at those flowing muscles, rippling in motion as they... well, maybe just one peek. Just one look. He wouldn't know.

She moved the covers again, taking in the sight of him once more. If not for the headache and taste of bilge in her throat, she'd be tempted to leap from her sanctuary, grab him, and drag him back to the bed with her.

"Rude, can I ask you a question?"

The Turk stopped his routine again, turning to face her. He nodded.

"A personal question."

A moment of pause. Hesitation. Rude nodded again.

"What was it like being in Soldier?"

An eyebrow quirked at her, and she felt a little embarrassed about the question. She had always wondered. There had been an appeal to it for her, for almost everyone, when they were a child. Not many actually persued the dream, though. Only Cloud, that she knew. Cloud. Rude would naturally assume that's why she was asking. She inwardly winced and decided to add, "Why did you leave?"

"By the time I was a full Soldier, the war was over. I joined to fight. I like combat, it's something I'm good at. So I put in a request to transfer to the Turks."

There was something about the way he said it, the way he held his weight. Something not right. He wasn't telling her the whole truth. She wanted to ask more, find out what he was hiding. But he was very private. Solitary. A loner who wanted to belong in a group, but couldn't ever fully join because of something that had happened to him in his past. She decided to respect his need for privacy and secrecy. For now. She'd get back to it later.

"Get over here," she said. "You're keeping me up with your clumsy practicing."

He gave her an offended look, and she laughed. She winced again, but noticed the headache was fading. And the horrid taste in her throat was gone. "Get back in bed."

"I need my practice and excercise," he responded. "Not all of us are perfect fighters like you."

"I promise you that if you get in this bed right now, you'll get lots of exercise," she said with a seductive smile. The startled and amazed look on his face made her laugh again.


	4. Prophetic Words

Author's Note:

Reno: What the crap?

Reeve: Another day with two chapters!

Reno: Tyramir is no longer my hero! He's not lazy anymore!

Reeve: Suddenly I have newfound respect for the writer, and am proud to say the disclaimer for him. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Four

Prophetic Words

As with everyone imbued with the Mako-process that entailed entering into Soldier, Cloud awoke with no side effects from drinking. There was no hang over, no queasiness, no headache. He sat up quickly, instinctively surveyed the room, and took note of his surroundings. He had been stuck with the standard three bed room that most inns had, accompanied with Barret, who slept snoring peacefully on the bed to his left, and Reno, who was half hanging off his bed on the right. Red XIII had been curled up on the rug in front of the fireplace, but was now gone. There was nothing unusual about that. Despite his lack of opposable thumbs, the cat seemed to be able to open and close doors with enough ease not to make any noise, and was frequently up and about before everyone else.

The room across the hall held Yuffie, Aeris and Elena, and the room down the hall held Tifa and Rude, who were seemingly revelling in 'living in sin.' Cloud didn't mind. He was happy that she was happy. He just wished she had found someone else to be happy with. Frowning, Cloud realized that he felt bad for thinking that. He had committed his own fair share of crimes while in the employ of Shinra and as a member of Avalanche, and Rude had proven himself as a member of the group by helping Avalanche fight the second Proud Clod and Jenova.

Remembering that starry night when Rude and Tifa lay on the grass looking up at the stars, Cloud couldn't help but feel a little jealous, and a little disgusted. And the confrontation between the two of them afterwards... they had both been lucky that hadn't gone beyond a few harsh words exchanged. And despite how much he didn't want it, Cloud knew that another such confrontation was in the offing.

Putting on his clothes, Cloud gave another quick glance around the room to make sure he hadn't woken anyone up. He looked at Reno who was still half-hanging off his bed, and frowned. Moving over to the Turk, he grabbed him by arms and heaven him into his bed all the way. As he did so, a half-full bottle of scotch fell from the Turk's hands. Immediately, Reno began to moan. Cloud couldn't help but let the grin on his face show. Forever wanting whatever alcohol he could get, that was Reno. Cloud picked up the bottle from the floor and put it into the sleeping Turk's hands, who immediately clutched and cradled it to his chest. The moaning stopped, replaced by a content purr.

The Soldier washout quickly left the room, closing the door behind him before he let the laughter overcome him. He stopped laughing as he heard giggling coming from down the hall. Tifa. And she was probably laughing at something about Rude.

"Don't let it get to ya, kid." Cloud didn't even have to turn around to know that the person who was behind him shouldn't be there. Because the man who had spoken was dead. But he turned anyway, and looked straight into the face of Cid.

"What are you?" he asked, a hint of anger touching his voice. This apparition had appeared to him before, guiding him, telling him what he must do. But with the annoyance of knowing that something was going in Tifa's room, coupled with something that kept appearing as a dead friend, Cloud was more than a little angry.

The thing appearing as Cid smirked. "I'm Cid. Can't you tell?"

"No more games. I'm not in the mood. I want to know what you are."

Cid shrugged. "Not much to say. Suffice it to say, I'm Cid, and I'm not. You can only see me because you have some tainted Cetra cells in you. Or rather, Jenova cells. Whichever you damn well prefer."

"You're the Planet, aren't you?"

"Now, how's that for profound? Not nearly as dumb as you look, kid. Sure. I suppose you can call me that. I sort of am, in a sense."

"You're not going to elaborate, are you?"

"Hell no. You think you're so smart, you figure it out."

Cloud frowned. This embodiment of the Planet, whatever it was, had proven benevolent. But it was also cryptic, choosing to help in its own way while hiding behind a mask of a dead friend. "Why are you here?"

"Would you believe I like the pleasure of your company?"

"Just tell me!" he yelled.

"Clam it, kid. If everyone else catches you yellin' at something that ain't there, and they're gonna start thinking you're crazy again. I'm tryin' to do you a favor here."

"And that is?"

"I'm here to give you a warnin'. Something's happening. Something that I can't entirely control. Something big. A revolution of some kind. I'm just a small part of what's goin' on. But I've felt this kind of thing before."

"What? When?"

"When Jenova first appeared and started subvertin' the damn Cetra, that's when. Wasn't none too good either. Needed heroes in that time, and they were just in as sad supply then as they are now. Leader of 'em back then was as much of a pinhead as you."

The Soldier cross his arms, and had to resist the urge to tap his foot. "You don't have to be insulting. Can you get on with this? What happened back then?"

"Jenova got into the Lifestream. Started a change. The Cetra had to purge it, but the result was that it killed most of 'em. Not sure what's up now. Could be Jenova, could be somethin' new. Not sure. But I'll tell you what I told the last 'hero.'"

"And what's that?"

"My death... or Cid's death, whatever you prefer... just the beginning kid. You're gonna lose more friends along the way. Nothing you can do about it. So when it happens, buck up and move on. You got a Planet to save."

The words struck Cloud. Every time Avalanche had gone into battle, there had always been the risk of losing someone, but never the certainty. Knowing it would happen suddenly made him less confident.

"Oh," the image of Cid said. "And make use of everything you got. You may not like him, but Rufus Shinra will be a big player in this. And I get the feelin' he'll be the decidin' factor in this. And get the Turks in on it, too. Like I said, use everything you got."

Cloud felt the urge to object, but kept his mouth shut. More than likely, if he said anything, the apparition would tell him to just "stop bein' such a damn numbskull."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. Tell that Aeris girl how you feel, yeesh. If worse comes to worst, then you won't have much time with her. Spend it wisely while you can."

And with that, the apparition faded into nothingness, leaving Cloud in the hallway by himself.


	5. Broken

Author's Note:

I still don't own Final Fantasy, dagnabbit!

Chapter Five

Broken

After leaving Aeris and Kalm behind, Vincent began to reflect on the decision. He wondered if it really had been the smart thing to do. For too long he had maintained his distance, staying away from humanity in order to keep the beast within himself away from the world outside. He had kept his own private pain to himself, locked in a coffin.

And now it was all done. The path to the end had begun with the death of Hojo. Sephiroth's end was another necessary step. His own confrontation with the beasts within him had brought almost a feeling of peace, even if he could still feel Chaos lurking somewhere inside of him. And now, with Lucrecia gone, it was all finally over.

No, not over. Not yet.

His chest ached, and he had trouble breathing. The bullet wound he had taken to the chest from Lucrecia had taken its toll. Throwing himself into the Lifestream had been the only thing that had saved him, but it hadn't been enough. The life giving energies had helped seal the wound, but only on the outside. He could still feel the bullet inside of him. And worse -- it was a Mako slug. Or at least, he suspected as much. He could feel it slowly poisoning his body and his mind. Soon, he would begin to lose sense of what was happening around him, and go into a delirious state, until finally it shut down and left his body to its own devices.

_So this is it. This is how it ends. _

He smiled to himself. How appropriate. A long, dramatic death from an old injury. He would die alone, no one even knowing what had befallen him. He would eventually be forgotten, a shadow of a memory to only those who had been in his companions in the fight against Sephiroth.

Not even they would truly miss him. He had been a comrade-in-arms, and that was all. Unlike the rest of them, he had not been a part of the group. He had purposely set himself apart from the others, ensuring that there would be no ties to be broken in the likely event of his death, or self-imposed exile.

Exile. The coffin. It had kept him alive, whole, unaged for thirty years. Maybe if he just returned.... Shuddering, he pushed that thought away. What kind of life would that be? Dreaming past nightmares for eternity, he would never be allowed to _live_, only exist. No, he would not return to the coffin. Death was preferable.

But where to go? He mused at the idea of going to Lucrecia's waterfall like he had told Aeris he would. But the idea was repulsive, yet attractive at the same time. He longed to go where Lucrecia had made her home... but at the same time, he did not want to go to the place that his killer had lived.

Crouching down on a rock, he surveyed the plains. Once desolate, the ground was now newly covered in vibrant grass. Animals would return to this land soon. Nature would claim what man had stolen.

Yes. This was as good a place as any. But he wouldn't die slowly. The Mako poisoning was taking too long.

It was all over. Revenge had been sated and justice done. Sephiroth had been stopped. Even Lucrecia was gone. There was nothing left.

Drawing Death Penalty from its holster, Vincent looked it over and smiled sadly. The weapon he had carried as a Turk, so proud of it. Taken from him when Hojo had decided to play God and make him into a living experiment. And given back to him by Lucrecia. The gun had proven itself many times.

_Just one last person to kill. And then... we part ways._

Kneeling down, he pointed the barrel under his chin, and placed his finger over the trigger.

_End it. End it now. Don't let the poison get you. Die like a man._

Slowly, he tightened his finger's grip around the trigger. This was it. He was really going to do it.

_Lucrecia, my love... I come to join you._

Thoughts of Aeris' death came to him, Sephiroth descending from above, sword striking down. He thought of the Highwind crashing into Shin Bahamut, of Cid's death. Both had died for something. Their deaths had _meant_ something. They didn't die because they had wanted to. They had died for a cause, for friends, for something more than themselves.

Vincent hurled Death Penalty away in disgust.

He was not going to kill himself. He may very well die, but he was not going to do Lucrecia's work for her. No, if he died, he'd do it trying to live.

He didn't think of the consequences, or about the intelligence of his rash plan. He merely acted. Quickly discarding his cape and shirt, he flexed his metal hand, and extending one finger, sliced along his rib cage. Wincing, he suppressed the urge to cry out. Blood spilled down his chest. Working the skin open with his claw, he began to carefully feel around, slowly digging at the bullet lodged in his rib.

His mind was beginning to feel numb, the pain in his chest already disappearing. And cold. So much cold. Shock, more than likely. Or just as likely, the Mako poisoning beginning to enter the fatal stage. Had it been left untended for that long?

With a scream that spoke of torture, part that of a man, part amplified by the beast within, a scream that rippled all across the plains of Midgar, eachoing across mountains, Vincent found the offending bullet and ripped it free. The bullet left his hand immediately, sailing away from him through the air.

Collapsing, he fumbled at the Materia on his metal arm, looking for the green orb which indicated a Restore Materia. Wrenching it loose, he tried to focus his pain-numbed and poisoned mind on the sphere, trying desperately to summon the concentration required to summon up the healing he now desperately needed. His mind reached out, touching the essence of the Materia orb, calling on the knowledge of the Ancients and.... nothing happened.

He had done everything correctly, a motion he had done so many times before without thinking. Why wasn't it working?

He tried again, calling up a force of will he had always doubted, and focused on the orb. It glowed faintly green, then faded. Nothing happened again. No cure.

Swallowing a howl of frustration, he tried again. The third try yielded a brighter light, but still no affect.

_I am not going to die. _

It was then, in the distance, that he heard the cry of some massive monster. Holding his wound with his normal hand, Vincent cast a searching glance about, looking for anything that might pose a threat. And there, in the distance, was a Behemoth. Probably a left over from Jenova's call for help. The former Turk looked down at the wound and swore. It had probably been attracted by his scream and the smell of blood.

Trying a final time to summon up the power of the Materia orb, once more Vincent was met with failure. Something was horribly wrong. But what, he didn't know.

Falling, Vincent began to slowly crawl to where Death Penalty lay. He needed the gun if he was to have any chance of surviving. His metal hand grasped around blindly about the tall grass while his other hand held his life's blood within himself.

_I am not going to die! Damn you, I won't die! Not after all this!_

He could feel the beast rushing to the surface. Chaos was taking over. He swallowed, and tried to force it back down. He would not let it control him. Chaos was unpredictable, given to violent impulses. He wasn't sure what would happen if he let it take over him.

But, as he futily searched for his weapon, he knew it was the only chance he had.

So he surrendered.


	6. Truth

Author's Note:

Still don't own Final Fantasy, but I'm still trying!

Chapter Six

Truth

The elevator ride down to the Underwater Reactor was a long one. Reeve shifted his tie, playing with it, always adjusting it. It was as if the small piece of fabric had become a mighty weight, threatening to bring him down. Responsibility. Hard work. Respect. These were words that were supposed to mean something. And to Reeve... they had meant something. Now, he wasn't quite so sure.

The humming of the elevator did nothing to settle his stomach. He was already feeling queasy, absolutely sick after the meeting with Rufus. He hadn't known exactly what to expect, but he had known, somewhere deep down, that he was about to be betrayed...

_Running a hand through his hair, Reeve inhaled deeply before grasping onto the door latch and clicking it open. He walked in quickly, quietly, but respectfully. President Rufus was a hard man, given to expectations of the very best on all levels -- performance, efficiency, and etiquette. Failure to meet to his standards frequently led to a failing career -- or health._

_Rufus sat at his desk, his face stern, eyes cold, gaze penetrating. But something wasn't right. The normal fire that was in him seemed faded, replaced by... uncertainty? Apprehension? _

_Something wasn't right. All was not well with Rufus Shinra, and that made Reeve nervous._

_"You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked._

_"Yes, Reeve. Close the door behind you."_

_Doing as he was told, he shut the door behind him. Well, if he was asking him to close the door, odds were, security wouldn't be called in the next minute. Not that he had anything to worry about when it came to that, but sometimes, Rufus could be unpredictable. _

_"Take a seat," the President said, gesturing to one of the two chairs in front of his desk. No more chairs were ever brought in for guests. When people came to his office, only the two most important visitors were ever allowed to sit, if even them. And those two were rarely chosen because of rank or priviledge, but by Rufus' personal opinion._

_Pulling up a chair, Reeve sat down directly across from Rufus, making sure to keep eye contact the entire time. One did not walk into a predator's lair without making a challenge, even if one was invited. To look away would be a sign of weakness, and Rufus struck down the weak, and Reeve had no wish to be struck down._

_A small smile abruptly played on Rufus' lips, as if he were aware of a joke that only he knew. But there was something about it... Reeve shivered inwardly. _

_"I've lied to you."_

_The words themselves did not shock Reeve. He had expected and even anticipated Rufus lying to him about many things. Rather, the admission to lying was what caught him off guard. What reason could Rufus possibly have about telling him that he had lied to him? _

Or... what does he want from me? _the question came to Reeve's mind, and the more he thought it over, the more sense it made. Something that Reeve would normally reject out of hand, defy Rufus over. But what could it be?_

_"Lied? About what?" he asked._

_"Your past. Your life. Everything since you awoke from your coma."_

_It hit Reeve like a solid punch to the stomach and a slap in the face at once. It was both a blow to the gut, a feeling of utter shock, and a direct challenge, an insult, something that could not be left unanswered. His hands gripped the arms of his chair solidly, and Reeve nearly feared they would break._

Let them break,_ he thought. _It'll show this puffed up meglomaniac how angry I am.

_Rufus related the details as he knew them to Reeve, the tale of Cait Sith and his exploits with Avalanche. Rufus dwelled on acts of heroic bravery on Reeve's and Cait Sith's part, like braving the Temple of the Ancients and sacrificing his stuffed body to gain the Black Materia for Avalanche, while skimming over his betrayal of the rebel group and kidnaping Barret's adopted daughter Marlene and giving up the Keystone to the Tseng and the Turks. With each word, Reeve's rage grew._

_"Why?" he asked when Rufus was finished._

_"I lied to you because I had to ensure your loyalty. I had to make sure you completely trusted in me and my goal."_

_"No... that's not what I'm asking. Why did you tell me the truth?"_

_Rufus' cold expression slipped, replaced by that uncertain cast. "I... I don't know. You had a right to know, but... suffice it to say, you know now, and that's all that matters."_

_"Bullshit." The word erupted from his lips before he could stop it. Even as angry as he was, there were some things you did not say to the President of Shinra._

_The arrogant facade returned instantly, and Rufus stood up. "You know the truth now. Whether or not you believe me is another matter. A brighter future is coming, Reeve, and I will need your help to achieve it. Unlike all others, you've proven trustworthy. You saved my life where all others would have left me for dead, squandering for power while my corpse would still be warm. But trust works both ways, I've heard. So, Reeve... do you trust me? Do I have your loyalty?"_

_Standing up, Reeve clenched his jaw and fists. He wasn't sure what to say. "You have my loyalty, Mister President. You will always have that. But my trust is another matter."_

_Rufus looked as if he were about to say something else, then stopped. He nodded, then said, "You're dismissed. Take some time to think things over."_

Reeve wanted to hit something. He very nearly did strike the elevator door as it came to a halt. Waiting it for open, Reeve stormed out. One guard attempted to stop him for an identification check, but one stare and a growl sent the soldier back to attention, with a quick, "Apologies, Mr. Reeve."

Making his way down the hallway that led to the storage area, Reeve finally realized what he was doing, where he was going. He stopped in front of a door marked 'STORAGE 007' in bright yellow letters, and frowned. Why was he here? What form of madness had he brought upon himself that he had come back here? He'd been avoiding it long enough. Why now?

Because this was the door that had brought about the whole sorry mess in the first place, that's why.

His hand hesitantly came up to the control panel, shaking the entire way up. This was insane. This had nearly killed him before. Rufus would no doubt want to exploit it. That was his way. But something... something in what he had said made him wonder.

_"A brighter future is coming, Reeve, and I will need your help to achieve it."_

The words, spoken with such conviction, such certainty in the midst of so much uncertainty... As if those words alone were all that mattered, all that were the real truth behind Rufus Shinra.

_"A brighter future is coming."_

Making a small cry of frustration, Reeve hit the control panel, slapping his palm against the recognition scanner. A bright blue light flickered on, sending a pulse through his hand as it scanned his finger prints, ensuring that he was authorized to open the door.

The id pad flickered green, and a soft _ding_ sounded. The doors opened wide, and Reeve stepped in. As he did, lights all around the room came on, and machines came to life. Computer screens came on, showing the status of the machines they tended.

And all around the room, lined against both walls like perfect soldiers were Cait Sith units.

"Hey, guys... I'm back."

Author's Note:

Sorry this was late. I had it finished around 5 pm, but when I went to upload I found that my internet was down! On the upside, this will be posted as well as chapter seven directly afterwards. Oh, and I apologize for the _heavy_ use of italics in this post.


	7. Girl Talk

Author's Note:

Reno: Holy crap! You're back!

Reeve: What are you talking about?

Reno: Cait Sith! You're back!

Reeve: I am not Cait Sith.

Reno: Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Your secret identity is safe with me.

Reeve: I constantly wonder if it's possible for you to grow more retarded, and you never cease to amaze me.

Reno: I'm not retarded!

Reeve: You're right. People affected by retardation have a genetic excuse. They are, as well, generally nice people who frequently try to make the best of their situation. You, on the other hand, like to stick your electro-mag rod into Game Boys and such.

Reno: So?

Reeve: You, my very, very stupid friend, are a mongrel.

Reno: I'm your friend? Yai! Does that mean we can go out drinking after this disclaimer?

Reeve: ... Sure. Anything to blunt the pain of having to associate with you.

Reno: Hoorai! To celebrate, I'll say the disclaimer! Tyramir doesn't own Final Fantasy, Game Boy, and any label of beer. Now, enjoy the fic!

Chapter Seven

Girl Talk

Elena gave her suit one last look over in the mirror and sighed. For the first time since becoming a member of the Turks, she nearly regretted it. She didn't like Avalanche. They were, after all, responsible for Tseng's death. They claimed otherwise, and while that made her doubt, she still felt, deep down, that they had done it. But, despite it all... Avalanche was about something. They began as a group dedicated to saving the planet from the raping Shinra did to the land with their Mako reactors. Beginning as a group of idealists, they quickly turned into a rebel faction that was no better than a group of terrorists. When she had been first assigned to the Turks, it had seemed right to hunt them down. Now... after defeating Sephiroth, and Jenova, and saving the Planet from Meteor... it all seemed so wrong. But she knew that as soon as she left this room, her association with this group of heroes was over. Any further interaction with them would undoubtedly involve fighting them.

"Gawd you look at yourself a whole lot," Yuffie said from behind her.

Elena turned around, and looked at Avalanche's youngest member. Shinra intelligence reported that she was the daughter of Lord Godo of Wutai, the descendant of a long line of disciplined ninja. Those same reports had also said that she possessed a mastery of Materia few could equal, and was adept at most forms of armed combat, but preferred thrown weapons. Those reports, however, had not mentioned that she was a stuck up little brat who couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"I was just thinking," she responded defensively, not wanting to make the girl think she was vain. Now that would be an embarrassment. This puffed up girl thinking _she_ was vain.

"Thinking about what?"

"Just... things. And how funny life is sometimes."

Yuffie groaned, sitting down on her bed with a huff. "You're not gonna get all serious on me, are you? I was hoping we could do something fun before you left."

"Fun? Like what?"

The girl sighed, rolled her eyes, and sat up. "Well, y'know... like maybe... girl talk?"

Elena burst out laughing.

"What? What's so funny? I just want to do some innocent girl to girl talking! Is that so bad? What's so funny about it? Huh?" The young ninja was practically sputtering in outrage.

"It's just... I didn't expect Yuffie Kisaragi, daughter of Lord Godo himself, to ask me about ... _girl talk_." She nearly started laughing again from the look on the ninja's face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh like that. It's okay. Really. I was just caught off guard. What did you want to talk about?"

Yuffie's face took on a pouty look, as if she didn't want to participate in any girl talk now. But Elena knew otherwise. She had played this game before when she was sixteen. Now that she thought about it, that wasn't all that long ago.

"Oh come on. You wanted to talk before. Just because I laughed doesn't mean you don't want to."

"Never mind," she said. "This was a dumb idea. I just wanted to try it once, y'know? See what it was like."

"What do you mean 'try it once?' You've done this sort of thing before, haven't you? Talked to other girls about stupid things that don't matter, like boys?" Sitting down on the bed beside the ninja, Elena grinned, and Yuffie, after a moment, took on the same expression.

"It's just..." Yuffie started. "Well... Training at Dad's pagoda, learnin' how to be a ninja and all that. I never really had time for it. Or get to meet many girls. There were a few, but they all had the same workout I did, so they didn't have time either. Dad was always pushing me, since I had to be the son he never had."

"Didn't you ever just sit and chat with Aeris or Tifa?"

"With those bimbos? You kidding me? I mean, Aeris was okay, but she _died_ before I could actually sit down and get to know her. And Tifa? Look at her. She's all 'Oh Cloud, look at my boobs. Don't you want me?' Then gets that puppy dog look whenever he mopes about Aeris or how he's weak or something. Gawd he can be such a loser sometimes. I mean, sure, he's kick ass in a fight, but let's face it... he whines _a lot_."

Elena laughed at that comment, then added, "And look at his hair. How does he even stand up? I thought Tifa would have gravity issues, but with all that gel in his hair, you'd think he'd fall face first into the dirt all the time!"

Yuffie giggled. "The funny thing is, he doesn't even _use_ gel. His hair is like that _naturally_. You'd think he'd know how to use a comb or something! But he never touches one! At least, _I've_ never seen him use one. Not like Vincent. I've never seen him do it, but when he's in the bathroom, he's in there for a _long_ time. I think he likes to groom himself extensively, make sure he's got that angsty 'I feel pain, pity me' look going on and have his hair perfect."

Elena couldn't help but think, _God, I'm enjoying this. I can't believe I'm enjoying this. I should have outgrown it. Maybe it's Yuffie. All that enthusiasm must be contagious._

And then, Elena was surprisingly caught off guard by Yuffie's inevitable question, "So, who do you like?"

Immediately defensive, she said, "Who do I like? What kind of question is that? If this is girl talk, then I've done it with the Turks a _lot_. That's all they can ever seem to talk about."

"Come on. I'll tell you who I like."

"You're going to tell me that anyway. You _want_ to. That's why you brought up this silly subject in the first place. Can't we talk about something else?"

"Please?" she pleaded.

"Fine. I liked Tseng. Happy?"

"But... he's..."

"Dead. Yeah," she said, her voice suddenly bitter and her mood soured. And she had been having such a good time, too. She started to stand up, but Yuffie grabbed onto her arm and yanked her back down.

"We didn't kill him," she said firmly.

"What? I never said--"

"Yes, you did. Back at Icicle Inn. You said we 'were gonna pay for what we did to Tseng.' We didn't do it. Sephiroth did. He was wounded when we got into the Temple of the Ancients. Wouldn't let any of us near him, either, except Aeris."

Elena's expression contorted, turning to anger. "Why didn't you try to heal him then? You could have done something."

"You think he'd be dead if we could? He'd been stabbed by Masamune. Just like Aeris. If we could have healed Tseng, don't you think we would have done the same with her?"

The words hit her, and she slumped forward. If Cloud had said it, even with the conviction Yuffie had just had, she wouldn't have believed him. But the young ninja was so forward, so despicably and offensively honest that she couldn't help but believe her.

"I feel dumb," Elena said. And she did. She had so believed that Avalanche had killed Tseng, when there were so many signs that they wouldn't have just all ganged up on the Turk leader and mercilessly killed him. And, now that she thought about it, the wound in Tseng's chest had been most definitely been caused by some sort of piercing weapon that had gone all the way through him. Cid's spear blade was too short for it to have made that kind of wound, and Cloud's sword too wide.

"You feel dumb? I'm the one who brought up the subject in the first place."

"It's okay... you cleared some things up for me. It kind of makes sense now. Thanks, I guess."

"No problem." Yuffie grinned, "So, you wanna hear who I like?"

Elena rolled her eyes. Flighty didn't even _begin_ to describe Yuffie. And she thought that she herself was bad at times. She'd have to go along with it, though. Putting on a tough face, she asked, "Who do you like?"

"Reno."

Elena made a gagging sound. "Are you kidding me? What on the face of the Planet makes you think that Reno is suitable dating material of any kind?"

"What's wrong with Reno?" Yuffie said defensively.

"What's wrong with him? Don't you mean 'What's _right_ with him?' Where do I begin? He's a complete slob, he drinks too much, he has no respect for women, he has no sense of responsibility, he's not very bright, he has no morals... is any of this getting through to you?" Complaining about Reno slowly began to make the painful memory of Tseng's death recede in the background. It was still there, but she was able to force a smile again.

"But... he's cute."

"But... that's a horrible excuse," she said, mocking Yuffie's tone and wording.

"Well, he did save me from that Don Corneo pervert, remember? He saved you, too. That was kind of romantic."

"I am never going to live that moment down," Elena grumbled.

"Me neither, but he _did _save us."

"He didn't _save_ us. He had Rude kill Corneo so that we could get a paycheck from Shinra. Saving us was just a little something extra. Mostly so he could tease me with it. You only got cut down because Cloud and the others were there."

"And there was that time during that battle against all those monsters and Soldiers where he nearly sacrificed himself to save us all. He would have died if not for Tifa, and he did it all the same."

"I'll give you that. But that was so completely out of character for Reno. He's normally the kind of guy who drops sector plates on people and then goes out for a drink afterwards to celebrate." She winced after she said that. It wasn't entirely true, and she regretted it the moment it passed from her lips. "That came out wrong. Here, I'll let you in on a secret. Only me and Rude know it, and I only know it because Tseng told me, so don't tell anyone, okay?"

Eager to hear a secret about her crush, Yuffie leaned in close, casting a conspiritorial glance around the room as she did. "I won't tell anyone. What is it?"

"Reno... he drinks a lot. You knew that already, but... He doesn't do it because he likes the alcohol all that much. He does it because he hates doing what we do. Normally, he keeps the drinking down. Tries to put on a happy face, and does it while at bars and tries to make it look like he's celebrating, but he's really not. Tseng told me that after Reno dropped the Sector Seven plate, the first thing he did afterwards was go back to the Turk locker room and cry. It really got to him."

"Oh no. He didn't really, did he?" Yuffie's face looked sympathetic.

"That's what Tseng told me. Half the time, Reno's an immature putz, but the other half... he's almost a decent guy. You could probably go worse than Reno, I suppose. Not much worse, but it's possible."

The air took on a solemn tone again, and Elena stood up. "It's been nice talking to you, Yuffie, but I have to go now. It's about noon, so Reno should be awake by now. We have to head back to Junon."

"Why do you do it?" Yuffie asked abruptly, standing with her.

"Do what?"

"Work for Rufus. Why are you a Turk?"

Elena shook her head, not really sure herself. "I... I don't know anymore. Same reason as Reno is, or why Rude was. Fighting's the only thing I'm really good at, and everyone needs a job. Besides, I think Tseng would have wanted me to stay, even with everything that's happened."

"Why don't you stay with us? You're all right. You can be a member of Avalanche, join up like Rude did. He's a Turk, he likes to fight, and he's with us. Why not you?"

Elena crossed the room, and turned to face Yuffie as she opened the door. "Being a member of a rebel group ... sounds like the pay would suck. Goodbye, Yuffie. May you get better taste in men next time we meet."

"Bye, Elena. You're okay in my book. Drop by in Wutai any time."

Closing the door behind her, Elena found Cloud and Reno waiting in the hall for her. Reno gave an annoyed grunt, probably at her taking so long, and Cloud nodded to her. In his hand was an envelope. He held it out for her.

"What's this?" Elena asked.

"A letter for Rufus," Cloud said. "I wanted you to hold onto it, since I don't think Reno is dependable enough to hold onto it. Make sure he gets it."

"What's it say?"

"Like he'll tell you," Reno said. "Wouldn't tell me."

Cloud frowned at Reno, then seemed to consider for a moment. "Consider it... consider it a peace treaty."

Author's Note:

Holy crap that one was long. And oddly enough, I enjoyed writing it. I despise Yuffie with a passion that could be closely defined as 'insanity' or 'homicidal rage', but would you believe I actually liked writing that conversation between her and Elena? I almost humanized her! ... I think I'm going to take a shower now. A rather long one.


	8. Echoing Roar

Author's Note:

Reno: And we're back!

Reeve: Please don't yell. I have a hangover.

Reno: Really?!

Reeve: I wish to perforate you with the Sister Ray.

Reno: You wanna what with my bunghole now?

Reeve: ... Never mind. My head hurts. I am never drinking with you again. Ever.

Reno: You're just saying that because of that drunken dance you did last night.

Reeve: The drunken what?

Reno: Don't worry. The blackmail pictures are in the mail.

Reeve: You son of a bitch.

Reno: Don't worry, it's cool. I'll only charge you twice the price I'd normally charge someone since you're so nice to me.

Reeve: ... I hate your life.

Reno: Don't you mean 'my life'.

Reeve: Exactly.

Reno: Three times the price.

Reeve: I better say the disclaimer before you up that price any more. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Eight

Echoing Roar

"You can come out now, Nanaki." Red XIII wasn't particularly surprised that Aeris knew he was hiding in the shadows, nor that she had waited until Vincent was gone before revealing her knowledge. He wouldn't have been shocked either to discover if Vincent had also known all along that he had been there.

He snorted, letting his displeasure show despite his lack of surprise, then said, "An interesting exchange. Why did you let him go?"

She smiled at him wistfully. Red XIII had always thought humans to be silly looking creatures, but whenever Aeris smiled, he felt like giving a contented purr. "He needs to be alone. While I'm certain that he values us, I'm just as certain that he needs to face this alone. At least, from his perspective, he needs to face this by himself. I think he feels that we might resent him for feeling the loss of one of our enemies."

Nodding, he said, "An understandable sentiment, but not the one I was referring to."

"Pardon?"

He had to remind himself how limited humans could be sometimes. While they were almost as intelligent as he at times, they were woefully ignorant of their surroundings. "He smelled wounded. He doesn't go to tend to injuries of the heart. He leaves to tend to wounds of the body, inflicted by Lucrecia. There is much that is feline in that one, and like most felines, he goes to find a place where he either heals, or dies." A touch of respect was in his voice.

"What?" Aeris asked, sounding almost panicked. "We have to stop him, get him some real attention. We--"

"Can do nothing now. He's gone. His scent is already fading from the wind. There is as much unnaturalness to him as there is feline. I couldn't even hope to track him." That rankled him. He didn't like Vincent's ability to disappear and reappear with little to no warning. It made him feel inadequet.

"But, he's just..." she turned, a hand pointing out towards the grasslands surrounding Midgar. As soon as it went up, her hand dropped again, having nothing to point to.

"A remarkable human, Vincent is," Red XIII said.

Aeris nodded numbly, her voice filled with worry. "Yes. Remarkable."

"He is a survivor, though. He will return to us."

Aeris shook her head. "I'm not so sure. I'm not sure if he wants to survive. His love is dead. He feels that he doesn't have a place with us here, otherwise he wouldn't have left. I'm worried about him."

"I can attempt to track him if you'd like."

"Do you think you can find him?"

"No," he said simply. "But there is no harm in trying. If you really think he won't live, then I will do my best to bring him back."

"Please do."

He bowed his head to her, a respectful sign, then loped out to the plains, leaving Kalm quickly behind him. Vincent was quick, but he was still only human. And Red XIII couldn't imagine Vincent turning himself into Chaos just for the mere sake of travel speed.

Slowing down so he could sniff at the ground, Red XIII began to muse about his name change. To the people of Cosmo Canyon, he had always been Nanaki, their protector. But to Avalanche, he was Red XIII, a name he had allowed them to use since it fit the time, but soon after, it had become more of an identity. While Nanaki was the protector of Cosmo Canyon, Red XIII was a guardian of the Planet, a warrior who defended what was right and ensured that future generations would live. Nanaki was his mother's son, but Red XIII was the true legacy of Seto.

It was while he was dwelling on his newfound pride in his father that Red XIII heard the roar. The hair on his back bristled, arching up, and he growled softly in response. The roar was filled with the sounds of both human and animal, mixed in some sort of terrible amalgamation, all of it filled with pain, rage, despair, suffering and defiance.

Red XIII knew at once that it was Vincent.

Charging at what he determined to be the origin of the roar, Red XIII only hoped he wasn't too late to save his companion from whatever had befallen him. His muscles rippled, limbs stretching into a singular loping motion, rushing straight ahead toward the source of the sound.

There was a blinding flash of light, and the feline warrior skidded to a halt, closing his eyes. A brilliant cadence of white and gold erupted in a pillar of firey light. It disappeared quickly, and just as quickly, Red XIII began to run to the source of the mysterious beacon.

And then, in the distance, he saw the large purple form of a Behemoth. The beast was pawing at something on the ground, and the protector of Cosmo Canyon immediately feared the worst. As he neared, the scent of blood assailed his nostrils, and he howled his frustration into a battlecry.

The Behemoth began to turn to face him, but Red XIII had antipated this and angled his charge to move towards the beast's hind legs as it moved. Diving through the air, one clawed paw lashed out and tore at the monster's hamstring, sending a spray of blood and a cry of pain out. But Red XIII didn't stop there. He knew that such a small wound would only anger the Behemoth and not cause much in the way of damage. Running beneath the massive monster, he attacked the opposite leg on the front in a similar manner, tearing just above its knee joint. Wheeling about, he moved back again, attacking the hamstring of the original leg he had wounded, moving back and forth between the two appendages even as the Behemoth moved, whirling about, trying to get its attacked from beneath it.

Learning from its mistakes, the Behemoth abruptly stood up on its two hind legs, much like a bear wound, and growled with its full ferocity at Red XIII. Exposed now to attack, the cat-like creature dodged away, loping away from its enemy, and then let out a howl of challenge, knowing the battle was already over.

The Behemoth, having put all of its weight on its two hind legs, one already torn and blooded, the tendon exposed and wounded, collapsed. Falling forward, it crashed into the ground, and as it impacted, the giant sound of crushing revebrated in Red XIII's ears. Its front legs had broken with the impact of its own weight, and with them, its rib cage had split open.

Not waiting for the beast's final breath, Red XIII immediately began sniffing the ground, looking for any clues as to his fellow Avalanche member's whereabouts, or, if the worst had happened, his body. He found the scent of Vincent's blood immediately, but no sign of the man himself. Soon after, he found Vincent's cape, shirt, and laying nearby was his gun, Death Penalty.

Picking the gun up with his mouth, he placed it on top of the red cape, then, using his paws awkwardly, managed to bundle it up into one package, which he lifted once more with his mouth. With a feeling of unanswered sorrow, he took all he could find of Vincent and returned to Kalm, hoping that somewhere, the former Turk was still alive.

Author's Note:

Yes, I'm aware a huge chunk of this chapter was recap. Yes, I'm aware it was a very short chapter in all. But it was one of those things that I had to write, and I figured the recap from Red's POV would help get the reader on the right track.


	9. Resurrection

Author's Note:

Reeve: And now we're back for another chapter of 'Promised Empire.'

Elena: Hey, Reeve. Have you seen Reno?

Reeve: Not since I stabbed him in the face with a broken beer bottle after he tried to blackmail me.

Elena: Oh. Okay. Just checking.

Reeve: Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy. Heck, Tyramir is so broke, he practically has no earthly possessions at all.

Chapter Nine

Resurrection

Reeve looked over the small army of stuffed dolls that lined the walls in awed amusement. Backs against the wall were large, pink moogles, all wider and more muscular than their real, smaller counterparts that they had been modeled after. And in front of each mog was a small cat standing on two legs, at attention, with one hand raised to forehead in salute. All of the cats wore little red capes and majestic crowns, all appearing regal and obedient, yet mocking, in their collective stance.

He nearly laughed.

This... this small army of _toys_ were what nearly killed him and cost him a large portion of his own mind? They looked harmless. And yet, deep inside them were circuitry that was directly linked into his own brain by an implant that may or may not still be working.

And that was the question. Was the implant still working?

He looked about the room, and spotted what he was sure he was looking for. At the end of the room, flanked by a pair of Cait Sith units, was a large computer screen, complete with a set up that probably included the computer's hardware, processor, and anything else it could need. It looked like something from an old sci fi flick. Sitting in front of the computer was an office chair, and to its left was something that looked like a hospital bed with gadgets and gizmos coming out of it, most centering around where the person's head would lay.

He tried to remember what it was for, and drew a blank. He grunted. Go figure. Not being able to remember any details about the machine that had caused the trauma which resulted in his memory loss. Not particularly surprising at all. Especially since, according to the doctors, his mind was blocking out anything to do with the Cait Sith units as a way of preventing him from reliving the overload from using multiple Cait Sith units at once.

He couldn't remember it, but.... _What if I tried to think logically about what it could be used for?_

The thought came to him in a rush, and the grin that came on nearly split his face in two. Brilliant. He was a technical genius. According to Rufus, he had helped design everything involved with the Cait Sith unit. So, why not?

Making his way across the room, he was much like a child with a new toy. Stripping off his jacket, tie and shirt, he opened the machine up and went to work. He played around with it, fiddled with wires, poked at pieces of circuitry and wiring, and even sent out one of the guards at the door for tools.

He was at it for hours, but he didn't notice. He was in his element. No more paper work, no more phone calls, no more suits, no executives. He got his pants dirty with oil and Mako. At one point his watch got stuck in the machine, and wrenching it free, he managed to break it. Shrugging, he tossed it aside. It was only a knock off anyway, only worth a couple thousand gil. He smiled at the thought, remembering back when 'a couple thousand gil' was a year's salary for him.

Yes, this was how it was supposed to be. Playing with machines, tinkering. _This_ was his passion, not playing around behind a desk, trying to help run a company. That was suit work, and he was beginning to finally realize how much he despised suit work.

He mused at the time he spent at Cosmo Canyon as he worked, remembering Bugenhagen and his passion for both nature and machines. He always wished to be like that. So smart and wise and clever, and yet at the same time, so peaceful, so content with the knowledge and learning and being able to sit back and do nothing _but_ learn for the sake of learning. No hurrying, no rush to fill a quota. None of that. Just being a scholar for the sake of it. If only he could do that.

But no... he was stuck here, with Shinra, as Rufus' right hand man. He felt almost like a lackey, a henchman. The thought was depressing, and he firmly pushed it aside by summoning a guard with his cell phone and getting him to fetch a pot of coffee for him.

He had been down there, playing around with the machine for nearly fourteen hours straight when he realized what it was for, and laughed. It was a diagnostic system for the microchip inside his head! He felt a little foolish, but didn't regret the time he had spent working on the machine. It had been... fun. Something he'd nearly forgotten.

_Well... I suppose since I've figured out what it's for and how to use it..._

Not even hesitating, Reeve sealed the machine back up, wiped his hands off on his pants, and hopped up onto the 'bed' on the mechanical monstrosity. He looked around, and found the control pad to his left, attached to a swivel designed to make it easy to pull towards him for personal use, or to move away from him for a fellow professional to use.

Looking over the layout on the control pad, he hit the appropriate keys, and glanced over to the monitor on the computer to his side. The screen flickered on, and displayed the words, "System Ready. Proceed?"

He tapped in the letter _Y_, then let himself relax. One of the machines that rested near his head moved, then came directly over his eye. Placing itself gently on his face, a bright red light began to flicker into his eye. He wanted to wince and shut his eyes, but found that he couldn't. Gritting his teeth, he waited out the offensive light as it communicated with the implant in his brain. It was over in under a minute, but his eye felt like it had nearly been burned out of its socket.

The machine moved away, resting once again roughly to the side and out of the way. Closing the eye that had been afflicted with the laser, he looked over to the monitor, reading what it said.

"Implant at functional level. 84 efficiency maintained. Self-repair initiated."

There was a long list of text afterwards, mostly details about the specifics of the implant and the sectors of it that were undergoing repairs. He typed in a query asking when the repair would finish.

"Twenty seven minutes," came the response.

Sighing, Reeve heaved himself off the bed and went to his coffee pot and poured himself a cup. Twenty seven minutes to make a decision. It didn't seem long enough. He had to make the decision now.

He sipped at his coffee, staring at the Cait Sith units. Rufus had told him two stories of the exploits of Cait Sith. Both stories, he had ultimately been a hero, able to battle his way to victory every time. This would be the strong right hand Rufus would need in the time to come. But dare Reeve risk another possible overload? And for a President that had proven deceitful?

He wasn't sure.

He glanced over to the monitor, and saw that the countdown for the repair had finished. That had gone by faster than expected. It hadn't _seemed_ like twenty seven minutes had passed. So, what would he do?

"Oh, screw it," he said. He would just be _testing_ the implant. Any decisions could be made afterward.

Walking back to the computer, he typed in a query, asking how to activate the implant. The computer merely responded, "Audibly speak system password."

What kind of answer was that? He growled in frustration. With his memory loss, he couldn't _remember_ the password. He swore. He went through a list of every curse he knew in every language he had learned. Well, none of _those_ were the password.

He tried his name. He tried 'moogle', 'Cait', 'Sith', 'Cait Sith', his parents' names, 'Rufus', 'Jenova', 'Bugenhagen', 'Cosmo Canyon'.... he went on and on, naming everything that came to mind. As a last resort, he started naming off members of Avalanche, wondering if he had changed it while a member of their group.

"Cloud." Nothing. "Barret." Nothing. "Tifa." Nothing. "Yuffie." Nothing. "Vincent." Nothing. "Aeris."

A surge of electricity roared through his brain, setting it on fire with agony and re-awakened nerves. As the chip came to life, so did his memory, screaming back to the surface. He wanted to shout, to collapse, to do anything. But he couldn't feel anything but the pain. He collapsed, or rather, he remembered collapsing.

When he came to, he was standing. _How am I standing if I'm just waking up?_

The question made sense, but no answer came. He looked about the room, confused. Everything seemed... smaller. And he wasn't in the same place in the room as he had been in before. Looking about frantically, he saw the source of his problem. Across the room was the crumpled form of Reeve.

He gasped as realization hit him. He was fully inside Cait Sith.

Author's Note:

Sorry this took so long. I was a bit stuck at the beginning, and kept putting it off. But once I got into it, I had some fun and moved on. I did the Tyramir challenge and succeeded! Took thirty minutes to finish once I got started!


	10. Homecoming

Author's Note:

Reno: Haha!

Reeve: Shut up. Now.

Reno: I knew you were Cait Sith!

Reeve: Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

Reno: But... it's funny!

::Reeve stabs Reno in the face with a broken beer bottle::

Reeve: Face-stab!

Reno: ... ow...

Reeve: Ownings the rights to Final Fantasy Tyramir is not having.

Reno: You know, just because you're now a small puppet doesn't mean you have to talk like Yoda.

Reeve: Face-stab!

Chapter Ten

Homecoming

The news of Vincent's unknown fate rippled through Avalanche like a small wave of sadness. No one had been particularly close with him, but he was still missed. It was not on the same level as Cid's death, or even Reeve's unfortunate fate, but everyone in the group still felt lessened. Cloud felt a fellow warrior depart, and knew it had to do with the Planet's warning that not everyone in the group would survive the troubles to come. Aeris felt pity for him, and hoped that if he were dead, that he would feel peace with his return to the Planet and not bring tainted thoughts of his horrid past with him. Yuffie merely shrugged off the Turk's disappearance, acting like it didn't matter, when everyone could tell that in some measure it did. Red XIII understood all too well the conflict that Vincent Valentine had been forced to go through day in and day out, fighting an animal inside of him, and sighed, hoping that the beast within had not consumed him. Other than Cid, Tifa had been the closest to Vincent, knowing what it had been like to be so close to the one you loved and to not have them. She hoped he found some form of peace, or at the very least, a painless release. While Rude had not know the Turk personally, he had moved through the ranks idolizing him, having heard of the legend that Vincent Valentine had been in the ranks of the Turks. And lastly, Barret, who felt he barely knew Vincent at all showed the most frustration at his disappearance.

"I hate it!" he said, bellowing to the entire room filled with members of the small rebel group. When he had formed his loose company, he had done so expecting to save the Planet from Shinra. He had never foreseen Avalanche turning into a group that fought against would-be Gods, enemies from the sky, Weapons of the Planet, or Meteors. And he had never expected to lose people along the way. Jessie. Biggs. Wedge. Aeris, even if she did come back. Cid. And now Vincent.

"This is all fucked up," he continued. "We save the damn Planet not once, but twice, but we keep losin' people. This shit is messed."

He was tired of it all. Tired of having to be the hero, having to fight on while others seemed to drop away. When was it going to end? When was he going to get a break?

"It's okay, Barret..." Tifa started, but he cut her off.

"No, dammit. It's not okay! It's never okay. I didn't know him too well, hell, none of us did. But he was one of us. I respected him for that, even with all his damn secrets. And now, he's gone."

"We don't know that for certain," Aeris said.

"Like hell we don't. Red said he found blood, and Vincent's cape and gun. That's more'n enough for me."

Red XIII quickly disagreed. "I did find what you say, but I didn't find his body, or any other remains. It's entirely possible that he still lives."

"Maybe," Barret said grudgingly. "But we don't know that. Not for certain. And I... uh... I been doin' some thinkin'."

"What kind of thinking?" Cloud asked.

"Aw hell. It's just... Sephiroth's dead. Jenova's gone. Rufus is still out there, but it's not like we're gonna be able to stop him any time soon, right? So I been figuring... we been through a whole lot. And.... I think we need some time off."

"No," Cloud said.

"What?" Barret exclaimed. "What do you mean, 'no'? It's a perfectly reasonable request! Get yer damn spiky head out of your ass for a minute an' hear me out!"

Cloud was already shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Barret, but... I've had a visitation. Some part of the Planet spoke to me."

"Ah hell, here we go again. You're goin' crazy all over again."

"Let's listen to him," Aeris said, walking across the inn room and stepping between the two. "This may be important."

"Thank you, Aeris. I don't mean to sound heartless, Barret, but this is important. The Planet came to me. It looked like Cid. Even spoke like him. But it wasn't him. It warned me that something was coming, something that would threaten the Planet. And that we have to stop it."

"Was there anything else?" Aeris asked.

Cloud hesitated for a minute, as if he were about to say something, then shook his head. "No. Nothing else. Nothing that mattered."

"Aw hell," Barret said. "Did it say how long?"

"Soon, but that's it." He seemed to be thinking, and then looked Barret directly in the eyes, holding the larger man's gaze. Barret saw some sort of inner conflict in there, but he wasn't sure what it was. "I've changed my mind, Barret. I think we have long enough. At least a week. Take Marlene and go to Corel or something. Spend some time with her before anything bad happens."

"You sure about this?"

Cloud nodded, looking away.

"All right, man. But if you need me, you just call me up on the PHS, okay? In the mean time... I want you to hold onto somethin' for me. Just to prove I'll be back. And so I can leave this fightin' behind for a little while."

"What is it?"

Grabbing onto his gun-arm, Barret pressed down the release button, accompanied by mentally triggering the neural link in his brain. The weapon came off with a snap, and he handed Missing Score to the Soldier. "I just wanna spend some time with my girl. Don't wanna be weighted down by no weapons."

"But what if some sort of monsters attack you?" Tifa asked. "Or whatever the Planet warned Cloud about happens?"

"I'll take my Materia with me," he said simply. "I'm no good with it, but it's something, right?"

"And I'll accompany him," Red XIII said. "That is, if Cloud allows it. I wish to see Cosmo Canyon for a little while. I miss home. And since Corel is fairly close to the Canyon, I can travel with him for most of the way."

"And I wanna go see Wutai!" Yuffie interjected.

Cloud nodded. "I think we all need some time off. But we have to all agree to meet here in one week. This is important."

Everyone made murmurs of agreement, not speaking too loudly. They gathered closely together, all of them embracing in some form or another. Cloud even shook Rude's hand, and then rounded on Barret. The two looked at each other for a long while, and then roughly hugged, patting each other's backs. They awkwardly separated, and then each member of the group went their own paths.

Author's Note:

Not much of a chapter, mostly just prep. Action will pick up soon. Next, Rufus and the Turks, probably followed by Reeve. After that... well, we'll see.


	11. Treaty

Author's Note:

Reno: (Insert welcome)

Reeve: (Insert bitter comment)

Reno: (Insert joke)

Reeve: (Insert comment about Reno's stupidity)

Reno: (Insert proof of previous statement)

Reeve: (Insert desire to end life)

Reno: (Insert comment that will only drive Reeve more nuts)

Reeve: (Insert bitter comment then disclaimer saying Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy)

Reno: (Insert thanks to Nisus for coming up with the idea of Barret leaving his gun arm behind and helping with the last chapter) (Insert comment about how he didn't want to thank anyone for anything)

Chapter Eleven

Treaty

Reno always liked to put on a show. It was a part of him as much as the rumpled suit and tied back red hair. His flamboyant strutting, his cocky attitude, his view on life that he allowed everyone to see. It was all an act, of course. People thought he was an idiotic peacock because that's what he _allowed_ them to see. He considered himself sophisticated, a creature that no one but a very few could ever hope to understand. Only two people really understood the real Reno, and one of those was dead, and the other had joined a rebel group just for a good lay.

It was this in mind that Reno purposefully walked into Rufus' office, nearly doing a little dance as he walked in, whistling off key all the while. He made especially sure to go for all the high notes and just miss them every time he Rufus' disgusted look turned into a wince. Doing this kind of thing made his day.

When the two came to a halt directly in front of Rufus' desk, Reno ceased his whistling, but left an amused grin on his face, as if to say, _I know this annoys you. That's why I do it._

It was Reno's new favourite game. Had been ever since Rude had left. Tweaking Rufus' nose every chance he got.

"I see you finally managed to find your way back to Junon," was Rufus' comment at their arrival. Contempt nearly dripped from his voice. He was really angry. Reno's day got a little bit brighter.

"Yeah, well, y'know... with all the monsters on the road, that slowed us down a bit," Reno said. "And it's not like we're on salary or you're paying us by the hour, anyway."

Rufus' face contorted more, his normal facade of cool arrogance disappearing into a sea of anger. Elena elbowed Reno in the ribs gently, her way of telling him to knock it off. Sighing, Reno made a mental note to tone it down.

"Anything to report?" Rufus asked.

"Yes, sir," Elena said, immediately holding out the rolled document that Cloud had given her and laying it on the desk before her. Reno made a face. During the trip back, she hadn't looked at it, or let him look at it either. All he had wanted was just to see if what Strife had said was true. What if it really said "Dear Mr. President, you suck, love Cloud"? Then Reno would have missed out on all the good laughs leading up to Rufus' moment of pure fury.

The President of Shinra took the document, unravelled the ribbon holding it shut, opened it, and began to read. The look of anger quickly faded, taking on a look of concern, then suspiscion, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, Rufus threw back his head and laughed. It wasn't the evil sounding chuckle of Heidegger, or even the ear-piercing cackle of Scarlet. It was just a normal laugh. Reno took a step back reflexively. Rufus laughing? That couldn't be good.

"If I may ask..." Elena said, sounding as taken aback as Reno had been.

"You may, and the answer is this. Cloud has asked for a truce between Shinra and Avalanche. At first, I thought it had to be some sort of trick, but... The way he wrote it. As if trying to get peace between two towering powers. Shinra isn't as powerful as it once was, and his is just a little group of terrorists. Hardly the powers he is making us out to be, but it's there. He even..." A grin cracked Rufus' face as he paused, "..._humbly_ asked for forgiveness for trying to kill me after Sephiroth killed my father, and apologized for thwarting me in the past, although he's very clear about saying that given a second chance, he'd do it again."

Reno inwardly groaned. He was really hoping for that 'you suck' version of the letter he had formed in his own head. "So... does Cloud say why he would want a truce?"

Rufus' grin disappeared, replaced by a frown. "Yes. Something about a new threat to the Planet. Or maybe an old one. He obviously doesn't know much even if this supposed threat were real. Which I'm not sure of. This could still be some sort of deception. I'll have to talk to Reeve about this, see what he thinks. Elena, will you go get him for me?"

The blond Turk nodded, then turned and left the room. After the door clicked shut behind her, Reno nearly gulped. He hadn't anticipated being alone with Rufus like this. Oh, what the crap. This job was starting to suck recently anyway.

"Reno, I've been meaning to talk to you alone recently. It's about your performance."

_Here it comes. 'Reno, I hate you, I want you to die, I'm sick of you hogging all the ladies, you're fired'._ He tried to think of the last Turk that had gotten fired, and couldn't remember a single one. Usually, Turks that deserved to be fired ended up dying on missions. _Oh crap._

"My performance?"

"Yes. Your dress slovenly, you drink far too much, you are disrespectful, and you have managed to emotionally shatter several of the secretaries here."

He couldn't help himself, so he said, "What can I say? The ladies love me. It's not my fault I don't have time for all of them."

"I don't care for you, Reno. At all. If this were a better world, it would have been you that had defected to Avalanche and not Rude. But this isn't a perfect world, or even a good one. So I'm stuck with you. And unfortunately, you're the most experienced soldier and field operative that I have right now. You are a master of armed and unarmed combat, espionage, kidnap, and stealth. For that, I need you."

_Do I smell 'raise'? I think I do._

Rufus continued, "Your experience is unprecedented, since all others are dead in the wake of recent events. As such, you're being promoted to acting leader of the Turks. You will be put on salary, in addition to any money you make for specific contracts."

"Sweet!"

"There is, however, a price tag."

_I don't like the sound of that._ "What is it?"

Rufus' cold gaze focused on Reno, staring him down until he was forced to look away from it. Normally, he wouldn't have backed down, but those Mako eyes unsettled him.

"First, you will no longer disrespect me in any fashion. I will have no more of your insolence, your arrogance, or your... whistling. You will not challenge me while we are in front of others. You will be allowed to voice any contrary opinions to me while we are alone, however. Your new rank does entitle you some privileges."

_The whistling got to him! Aww yeah. Too bad I can't do it anymore. _"Okay, gotcha. You're the boss, I start treating you like it. I think I can deal. What else?"

"Your dress, your drinking habits, or your merry making with Shinra employees after hours. I don't expect miracles, so I will allow you to keep one of these bad habits. The other two will stop. I will allow you to decide which one."

_Drinking, duh. I can order Elena to iron my uniforms now, and I can always get chicks somewhere else._

"Lastly, you will be given the responsibility of locating and training a new batch of Turks. With Tseng dead and Rude defected, we need two permanent replacements. That will be your job between missions. Do you think you can handle it all?"

"Sure, why not?" Reno said, shrugging. Rufus' glare hardened, and the Turk corrected himself, "I mean... uh... yes, sir."

_This sucks already. But money's money. Hmmm... I wonder if I can get that Aeris chick to like me. Then I can join Avalanche, too, and hang out with Rude again._

The door opened, and Reno turned to see Elena walk in. Alone.

"Where's Reeve?" Rufus asked.

"About that, sir," she said. "I think we have a bit of a problem."


	12. Madman Haunting

Author's Note:

Reno: Whee! I'm gonna be rich!

Reeve: I still make more money than you.

Reno: Stupid corporate executive.

Reeve: That, and I say the disclaimer. That brings in twice your pay.

Reno: Really? Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy! ... wait. That was a trick, wasn't it?

Reeve: Yep.

Chapter Twelve

Madman Haunting

Reeve's mind was racing at hyper velocity as he stared at his own body on the ground, trapped within a furry toy of his own creation. What was going on? How was this possible? Why was he in the Cait Sith doll, and not in his own body, controlling the machine mentally from distance? And why the heck had 'Aeris' been his password?

But with the flood of his old memories come back to him, Reeve remembered changing the old password to 'Aeris' after her death. He had always toiled and sacrificed of himself working for Shinra, trying to change the company from within. He had always seen himself as some sort of martyr, determined to save the world at expense to his own soul. And after Aeris' death, he had seen in her a kindred spirit -- someone willing to give their all for something greater than them. And as a silly way of honouring her, to make sure he always remembered her, he had changed his password to her name.

He almost laughed, bordering on the edge of hysterics. _Remembering_ her. Up until just now, that had been an impossibility, parts of his own mind robbed from him. But now they were back, and he was going to make the most use of that.

He answered the password question. Now, on to more important matters. Why was he in the Cait Sith doll, and how could he get back into his own body?

Moving proved a great trial. He was used to being a bipedal human, not a bipedal cat. The tail was forever getting in the way, but it helped him keep his balance. Not just helped him, he quickly found that he depended on it. After falling a few times on his way across the room to check his own body, he growled in frustration. There had to be a better way to do this.

And then he realized that there was.

Turning to face one of the giant mog counterparts, he shouted at it, "Hey! You! Get over here and pick me up!"

The mog, programmed to recognize the voice of Cait Sith and respond to its commands, instantly came to life, stretched its arms out as if awakening from a deep slumber, and slowly made its way to the small cat. Cait crossed his arms and tapped his foot irritably, and then growled. He was already beginning to think of himself as 'Cait Sith' and not 'Reeve.'

He had to fix this. Fast.

The mog stpped in front of him, and picking the cat up, placed him on its own back, where he clung. Cait looked around, and saw a megaphone tied around the mog's neck. Undoing the clasp, Cait raised the megaphone to his lips and said, "All right, take us to that computer! And move faster!"

He regretted the command immediately, remembering how tempermental the mog could be when it came to commands. It tended to listen to them to the letter. The mog bolted for the computer, moving at an astonishing speed, and Cait nearly fell of, barely managing to hold on.

"Slower!" But by the time he managed to say the command, the mog had already stopped in front of the computer, eagerly awaiting new instructions. "Big lummox."

Hopping down from his counterpart, Cait landed on the chair in front of the computer. He had to stand on it just to reach the keyboard. He let out a small, cat-like growl of frustration. Typing in a diagnostic check of the implant, Cait rolled his eyes when he found out that everything was supposedly normal about it.

"Yeah. Right."

He pondered for a minute, thinking about what possibly have gone wrong. If the diagnostic said the implant was fine, then it should be working perfectly. After all, he had made it himself along with...

"Oh no."

That was probably the problem. The diagnostic system itself. He hadn't programmed or designed that at all. That had been the project sent to the Shinra science department. So, had they somehow botched the job and made a non-functioning diagnostic and repair system? Not likely, but it seemed the only possibility.

He didn't bother with queries or a diagnostic check on the diagnostic system. If something was wrong with it that not even the greatest minds in Shinra could have discovered, then the program itself wasn't going to know it was broken. He delved right into the system, bringing up the original source coding and began reading it. The task seemed like a long and tedious one, but much to his own amazement, while in his normal body, Reeve could be distracted from the task, or miss little things. While in a computerized one, despite having a human mind running it, he found that he not only had a phenomanal reading speed, but could take in every little detail and commit it to memory with ease, able to recall it at any moment. What would normally take Reeve days or perhaps even weeks took Cait Sith only a matter of minutes. He felt rather proud of himself on some level, even though this discovery was completely unanticipated.

There it was, in the middle of the source coding, the problem to this currect nightmare. Someone had deliberately not only disabled the diagnostic system, but put a stack of hidden coding into it, layers beneath the original, hiding away like some malignant tumor. But it was encrypted, all of it. He couldn't make out any of it, except that it was running under the program name 'hbackup.'

"Meh," Cait Sith said as he tapped in a few keys and ran the program. What could it hurt to actually see what the program was doing?

A video screen came up, and on it was a weasely looking face, complete with glasses, and long black hair that was tied back. Cait made out a small squeek as he recognized the man on the video.

"Hojo!"

The man smiled, and said, "It's good to see you, too, Reeve. Or should I say 'Cait Sith'?"

"You bastard! Give me back my body!"

A disdainful look came over the scientist's face. "Do you really think you're talking to me, Reeve? This is a recording. But you've probably resorted to name calling and childish demands by now. Expected, just like I predicted events. If you're seeing this, then the lesser of the two outcomes has occurred. I am dead, and my son did not achieve his dream. His shadow defeated him. Unfortunate, but as I said, expected.

"You see, I've predicted events through various insights. My own genius, for one, that of Professor Gast, even Lucrecia to some extent. But mostly through a careful analysis of events of the past, through the knowledge the Ancient Ifalna gave us. We mused about it, and decided that one day, Jenova would return, either by her own will, or by that of someone else. And if she did, she would set about to somehow infect various people with her influence, and then gather them in some sort of Reunion. Once that happened, it would be a matter of Jenova choosing a champion for her. I decided to help the process and give her such a champion, my own son. I knew Sephiroth would attempt to wound the Planet so that he could gather in the Lifestream and take on its power, as had happened in the past. But I also knew that others would try to stop him. Rufus Shinra, Cloud Strife. One or the other. Perhaps both. So, I decided to give Sephiroth a burst of power that would make it impossible to stop him. But before I did, I ensured that my two backup plans were in place. The first was a genetic cloning of myself into Vincent Valentine. I released a chemical into the air that would slowly bring about my genetically encoded DNA and personality into his system. At which point, it would be a battle in his own mind between myself and him. While I'm certain that Valentine lost that battle, I ensured a secondary protocol. If I did not enter in a certain password into the Cait Sith diagnostic program, a hidden code would activate, and disrupt any diagnostic and repair checks that you would activate. Instead of repairing the Cait Sith doll, or your implant in the event that either were damaged, it would turn the relay system in your brain into a type of modem. Instead of allowing you to control the robot from great distances through mental commands, your implant would instead transfer your own conciousness into the doll.

"I found the idea greatly amusing. Not because I have any malice towards you, Reeve, despite the fact that I am certain you've betrayed Shinra and helped aid my own death. But there was a more... well, I would think you'd consider it 'malevolent' idea in mind. You see, the modem works two ways. While it's transferred you into the Cait Sith doll..." A grin split Hojo's face, and his eyes took on a burning cast.

"Oh no," Cait said, spinning around.

Reeve, or what used to be Reeve, his own body, was standing up, hands clasped behind his back, staring at Cait Sith. He had a condescending look on his face, as if he were the greatest man that had ever lived.

"Yes, Cait. As you can see, I've won. I live again. In you," Hojo said through Reeve's lips. His hands unclasped, and he flexed his fingers in front of him, testing them. "It worked better than expected. I retain all knowledge of myself and amazingly, a fair amount of information about you. I thought that when you would transfer from this body, you would take everything about you with you. But apparently not. I retain most of your memory as well, which makes for a perfect opportunity. You see, now that I'm you, and you're Cait Sith, I can now take your place, and prepare for Jenova's next attempt to take the Planet."

Cait Sith spat, "You're full of it, Hojo. You're trying to act like you're so intelligent. 'I predicted this, aren't I so smart?' All you predicted was that either you would win or lose, that either Sephiroth would win or lose. Anyone could have seen that one coming. So what if you planned for it? You're not nearly as smart as you think. You're just insane."

Hojo's new face contored in anger. "Perhaps... but I've still beaten you."

Hojo's hand reached out, as if to grab Cait Sith, but the cat was expecting it. When the fingers came close, Cait bit into them, then hit the man in his body with his microphone on the arm. Hojo let out a small yell, and staggered back.

"Fighting back against the inevitable? Admirable, but foolish. Computer. Delete all files under the heading of 'hbackup', authorization Hojo, password 'sacred.' That covers my tracks, now to deal with you." Hojo shouted, "Guards!"

The doors opened up, and the two men stationed outside ran in, holding machine guns aloft, looking for the source of the problem. Hojo pointed towards the Cait Sith doll, and said "The robot's gone berserk! Destroy it!"

Dodging with the agility of the cat that he now looked like, Cait scampered away, avoiding the barrage of machine gun fire.

"Oh sure, pull lackeys into this! Fine. Let's see how you like it!" He turned to the mog, then lifted his microphone and yelled, "Hey, stupid! Beat up those two guards and make a distraction for me while I get the hell out of here! Oh, and break his arms! And legs, too!" He pointed directly at Hojo. "That's your primary!"

_Don't want to kill my old body. Need to get it back somehow. And I need out of here before more guards show up._

He turned, immediately running away from the confrontations, comforted by the screams of pain coming from Hojo. Finding a ventilation shaft, he pried open the cover, hopped inside, and shut it behind him.

Author's Note:

As Search For the Promised One's villain was Sephiroth's mother, Lucrecia, Promised Empire's is Sephiroth's father, Hojo. Woo. Now we have something resembling a plot line! Now I might be able to figure out what to do with this, heh. Next up should be Rufus, then Barret.


	13. Tending To The Wounded

Author's Note:

Reno: So let me get this straight. Not only did Tyramir pretend like Rufus never died....

Rufus: What's wrong with that?

Reno: ... and bring back Aeris...

Aeris: Hey, I happen to like living.

Reno: ... but he also decided to bring back Hojo.

Hojo: I know. Cool, eh?

Reno: Wait. Where's Reeve?

Elena: He refuses to be in the same room as Hojo. You know, since he stole his body and all.

Reno: Oh right. Makes sense. Hey, Hojo, wanna be my new best friend?

Hojo: Only if I get to experiment on you and discover how a creature with no mental capacity can possess verbal skills.

Reno: Sounds cool. I'll even say the disclaimer, just to ease you into things. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters. See? Easy. Next chapter, you do it.

Hojo: Oh, I will. Right after I destroy the world!!

Reno: .... Riiiiight. On with the story.

Chapter Thirteen

Tending To The Wounded

Rufus felt a wave of satisfaction fill him as he subtly put Reno under his thumb. Offers of a permanent salary had permanently put the Turk under his control. The red-haired mercenary was loyal only to gil, and knowing it would be in steady supply would keep him from straying like he had in Midgar during the fight against Jenova. Rufus needed Reno for now, that much was for certain. The newly reborn Shinra was still in its infancy, barely capable of supporting itself. To grow, it would need competent people in its employ. And despite Reno's many bad habits, he was competent.

For a brief moment, he was allowed a happy reverie, a moment of contentment. And then, with all such things, it was forced to end, shattered on the floor.

The door clicked open, and Elena walked in. She closed it behind her. She was alone. Where was Reeve?

He didn't realize he had spoken the question aloud until Elena answered, "About that, sir, I think we have a bit of a problem."

His eyes narrowed, and he focused his full attention on her, noting her stance, her gestures, her expression. She was trying to stay calm, trying to stay still, but there was definitely the feeling of it being forced. Every part of her wanted to fidget, to squirm beneath his gaze. He found that he frequently had that affect on people now, ever since his Mako enhancement. But usually not from trained warriors, even ones as green as Elena.

"Problem? What kind of problem?"

"Did Reeve blow up another electric doo-hickey or something?" Reno asked, a smile coming across his lips. He stopped, then eyes Rufus specatively, as if unsure whether or not the joke would be considered as disrespect. Rufus let it slide.

"I couldn't find him at first, sir. He wasn't in his office, like I thought he would be, so I phoned the company apartments and found he wasn't seen entering his condo, either. I asked the front desk if he had checked out, and they claimed that he hadn't."

"But you did find him," the President said. Her wording had already confirmed his suspicions, but he found himself asking the question anyway. Was he really that worried about Reeve leaving him and Shinra? His vision had told him that he would need him in the time to come.

"Yes, sir. It didn't take me that long. A guard commented to me that he had seen Reeve enter the sublevels in the Underwater Reactor, accessing the storage area."

"The storage area?" he asked, confused. "What would he want in there?"

"Maybe the Cait Sith junk," Reno supplied. "It's the only stuff down there that's directly connected to him, I think. I mean, what else is there?"

"Don't be absurd. There's nothing Reeve is afraid of more than those dolls. They robbed him of his memory. He's so terrified of them deep down that his own mind locked away all memories pertaining to them because of the way the implant damaged him."

"Actually, sir," Elena said, nearly interrupting him. "That's where he went. Apparently after your last meeting with him, he went down there and stayed in the room for almost a day straight, working on something. We're still not sure what, but there was an accident."

Rufus found himself standing straight up, suddenly out of his chair with the speed of a rocket launched into the air. "What do you mean accident? What happened?"

Elena shook her head. "We don't know exactly. We do know that one of the Cait Sith units were activated, however, and then began to somehow act independantly from Reeve. It ordered its mog counterpart to attack him and two guards while it fled. The mog was destroyed, but the Cait Sith portion managed to escape."

Rufus felt a sudden pain in his fist. He looked down, and saw that he had managed to strike his desk, cracking the hard oak surface of it. His knuckles were bloodied, and his note were scattered about. _How had that happened?_

"Is Reeve all right?" he asked.

The Turk shook her head. "The mog focused all of its attacks on him. That's how the guards were able to destroy it. It completely disregarded them while it attacked Reeve. Both of his arms and legs were broken during the battle. He's being taken to the infirmary now."

Rufus was aware of striking the desk again, but this time he felt no pain accompany it. Right now, he desperately wanted to feel something other than what he felt right then. For a moment, it had been like his heart was in his throat, attempting to escape his body in fear. He disliked the sensation.

Gritting his teeth, Rufus said, "I want all of the Cait Sith units and their mog counterparts disassembled right now until we find out what happened. And I want the one responsible for this found. Today. Put all of my soldiers to work on it. I even want you two to look for it as well. Put aside recruiting, Reno, and focus your attention on this."

"What's the bounty?" Reno asked.

Rufus thought about it for a moment. Standard Turk commission was generally forty thousand gil per contract. Fifty if the circumstances were considered dangerous. He thought about Reeve for a moment, and remembered how he owed the man for lying to him. Lying to a man who had shown nothing but loyalty.

"Five hundred thousand gil each if one of you brings me that doll's head. I want this done. _Now_."

Both Reno and Elena saluted smartly, with a, "Yes, sir!" then left the room quickly. Odd how quickly Reno could fall into military patterns when offered such a ridiculously high sum of money. Given enough time, he would be made into a useful tool, instead of just an adequete tool.

_What to do now? The Turks are on their way to being complete once more. Soon, a new line of Shinra weaponry will be completed. My Empire will be made. But for now... I have to see Reeve._

Abandoning the financial papers, military plans and weapons schematics on his desk, leaving behind all worries of whether or not he was a lesser or greater man for becoming part Cetra, Rufus left to see the closest man he had ever considered a friend.

Author's Note:

Yeah, so not much happened. I'm into that whole character development thing. So sue me. Next up will be Aeris, followed by Barret. Stick with this. There'll be action coming up soon. Trust me on this.


	14. Feelings

Author's Note:

Hojo: Now, with this device, I shall take over the world!

Reno: What's this button do?

Hojo: Makes me take over the world.

Reno: Uh huh. And what's this button do?

Hojo: Makes me take over the world in half a second less time.

Reno: And this button?

Hojo: Self destruct button.

Reno: Cool!

Hojo: No!

::Reno pushes the button::

::BANG::

Hojo: I despise you so much.

Reno: You're just saying that because you look like Reeve.

Hojo: ... I am suddenly desiring to be dead again. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Chapter Fourteen

Feelings

The group went their separate ways. Barret, Marlene, Red XIII, and Yuffie traveled together as far as Junon, where Yuffie boarded a ship to Wutai. Barret, Marlene and Red XIII left for the West Continent, heading to their respective homes for some rest. Rude and Tifa picked up their things and headed out into the countryside, determined to make the best of their time, despite having nowhere to go. Tifa had declared that a camping trip for them was in order, where they could get away from it all for a little while. She hadn't said it, but it was implied that she wanted to be alone with Rude, so Aeris picked up the hint and decided not to ask if she could come along. Cloud steadfastly refused to event suggest the idea as well, but Aeris feared it was more because of his dislike for the Turk.

So Aeris was left alone with Cloud and Shera in Kalm, none of them having anywhere of their own to go. Aeris wanted to spend the time with Cloud, but he was being distant, as if something were bothering him. And she decided that she was going to make him come to her. He needed to sort things out on his own. She was not going to press the issue.

Deciding instead to spend the day with Shera, she ended up in a small hotel room that housed the woman who had formerly been Cid's faithful companion, sitting at a table, while Shera prepared some tea.

"I hope you don't mind me dropping in on your like this," the Cetra said.

"No, not at all," came Shera's response, a note of happiness coming out. It didn't sound right. It was definitely forced. Cid was dead, and she was trying to make the best of it. "I prefer the company, actually. I've been lonesome, and... it's nice to talk to someone."

The woman poured two cups and brought them to the table, setting one down in front of Aeris, who picked it up and sipped appreciatively. She wasn't a particular fan of tea, but if this is what Shera wanted to drink, then she would be content to have one cup.

They chatted aimlessly, making up small talk, staying away from dangerous topics, like Cid, or Sephiroth, or Jenova, or saving the world. They spoke instead of clothes and fashion, which neither really knew all too well, of Cloud, 'He's such a nice boy, but a little confused,' Shera would say, of Barret, 'He needs to settle down, and actually raise Marlene,' of Vincent, 'I do hope he's all right. _He_ liked him.' She never spoke Cid's name, but instead always emphasized pronouns when she mentioned him. Aeris wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not.

Finally, Shera set her cup down on the table and sighed. "I don't even like tea. I only prepare it because _he_ liked it. And I keep expecting _him_ to show up, bursting through the door, yelling and swearing and demanding for attention. Is that wrong?"

Aeris immediately shook her head. "No, it's not wrong. You miss him. We all do, but you most of all. I understand. I'm sure everyone does. It's okay to expect him to come back. He's returned to the Planet by now, and I'm sure he's content."

"What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Dying."

Aeris nearly winced at the question. She should have expected it. Someone was bound to ask it eventually. She wanted to answer truthfully, say that she had never really died, just left her body behind and reformed at the site of Meteor's destruction. Instead, she uttered, "Peaceful. Just... warm."

The words worked. Shera nodded thoughtfully, as if the answer had been the one she was looking for. They both were quiet then, each thinking on different matters, their own private domains now locked up tight. Aeris said her apologies, and left shortly afterwards.

Out in the hallway of the inn, she found Cloud. He was pacing, a look of frustration on his face. Something was clearly bothering him, but she didn't know what. She stopped, putting herself into his path, and waited for him to notice her. He had been trying to talk to her for the past day, and she had let him use that time to ready himself. Well, enough was enough.

He nearly walked into her before he stopped, looking at her, a surprised look on his face, almost like it said, _Where did you come from?_ The initial response flickered away, but was replaced by one of uncertainty. He looked like he was about to say something, then stopped, his jaw clenching.

"Was there something?" she asked, a playful smile tugging her lips.

"I... uh... hey."

She responded playfully, "Hey? That's all? You've been beating yourself up, trying to work up the nerve to talk to me for the past day, and that's your grand speech? 'Hey'?" She had to stop herself from letting out a small giggle.

He flinched visibly, and she wished she hadn't said anything. He really was more sensitive than most people gave him credit for. Give him a sword and a group of enemies to dispatch, and he would perform marvelously. Put him alone with a girl he liked? He'd always lose.

She smiled at the thought. A girl he liked. Had she really just thought that? She knew he liked her. And she most definitely liked him. Maybe even loved. His mixture of strength and weakness, of steely determination and absolute weakness, his unwavering loyalty to his friends and the little boy in him that just wanted to run away from it all... all of these drew Aeris to him. So much like Zack, and yet nothing like him at all. She admired him for both.

"You once said..." he started, slowly at first, but his tone picking up more strength, "... that you were searching for me."

She blushed, recalling the moment. It had been a poetic moment, their ride on the gondola at Gold Saucer. One could almost say magical, even, if one were inclined to make such naive comments. She nodded in response, not sure of what to say.

"I didn't understand what you meant then. But I think I know what you meant now. You said Zack told you the truth in the Lifestream. But... it's not enough. So here goes. My name is Cloud Strife. I was born in Nibelheim, and when I reached the age, I left my village to join Soldier. But I was rejected because I wasn't strong enough. So I became a regular Shinra troop instead. I went on a mission with Sephiroth and Zack to my home town, where Sephiroth discovered his past and struck out against the world. When Zack couldn't defeat him, I took up his sword and did it myself. Afterwards, wounded as we were, the two of us were captured by Shinra and then subjected to tests. We were made into psuedo-Sephiroth clones, infected with his and Jenova's DNA. Zack escaped, and he freed me and brought me with him. We became mercenaries, but eventually Shinra found us. Zack was killed, and in a confused state... my mind was being subverted by Jenova... I took up his sword and his identity. My memories were changed around. I lied to you, Aeris. Maybe not on purpose, but I lied.

"But I'm not lying when I say this to you. I love you, Aeris Gainsborough. And I want to be with you."

Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't say anything. Only gave him her best smile, then leaned in close and kissed him once on the lips. It wasn't the kiss of a friend, nor was it filled with the fiery passion of a lover's. But it was warm, tender. Meant more to reassure than to excite. She let it linger for a few moments, then pulled back. She took his hand in both of hers, and softly said, "And I you, Cloud."

Author's Note:

I'm really pouring on the romantic stuff. I'm not trying to turn this into a romantic fic, I swear. I just need to set ground work, and a lot of the stuff I'm doing right now is just that. Events will be picking up eventually. Next chapter, actually. Barret, Red XIII and Marlene are up next.


	15. Empty

Author's Note:

I don't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters. Not feeling 'funny' right now, so no funny disclaimer for this chapter. Ah well.

Chapter Fifteen

Empty

One day after their departure, their ship docked at Costa Del Sol, and Barret, Red XIII and Marlene went to a local chocobo dealer and bought one. They decided not to linger at the vacation resort, rather preferring to return to their respective homes. So, it was within moments of their arrival to the sunny beach that they left, Barret astride the chocobo with Marlene seatin in front of him, and Red XIII trotting beside them, easily keeping up.

During the trip, Barret kept finding himself adjusting his synthetic hand. It was designed to be able to work like a normal one, but its appearance of a machine's limb and the weight of it didn't sit right with him. He had gotten used to the gun-arm and its encumbering weight. It had been awkward, completely useless when coming to dexterious tasks, and something made only for violence, but now that he didn't have it, it didn't feel right. It was as if he had left an important part of himself behind with Cloud, and he found that he oddly missed his weapon.

The ride to Corel didn't have the hurried pace of their adventures while chasing Sephiroth, but nor was it leisurely. They only had so much time to spend, and the small group wanted to spend as much of it as possible in their respective homes.

It was on the second day of their journey while they were nearing Corel, the sky just becoming night, that they noticed that something was horribly wrong. Barret reined in his chocobo, and looked over the horizon, searching the darkening sky for something.

"Hey, Red!"

The feline warrior stopped his trot and sat down on his haunches. He quirked his head to the side, giving Barret a quizzical look. "Yes?"

"You notice something?" he said, gesturing to the horizon to the south.

Red XIII scanned the area in question, and saw the same as Barret. Darkness descending, grasslands, and in the distance, a desert. The feline managed a shrug. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"No," Barret said, realizing what it was that seemed to wrong with the horizon. "There's somethin' wrong all right. Don't know what, though. Too damn dark already. I'm sure if there were some damn light I could tell what it was, though."

Red XIII snorted, "Gold Saucer should provide appropriate light..."

The two stopped their musings short, and began to frantically search the horizon for the great, golden tree-like tower that always lit up the night horizon with its flashing lights and fireworks. Every night was said to be day at Gold Saucer, and every morning the rest period. But where were the lights now? Where were the fireworks?

Fear began to pump through Barret's blood. Something wasn't right. Something was horribly wrong.

"We gotta get to Corel."

"But, I need to get to Cosmo Canyon--"

"I don't care, Red. Somethin's up, an' I'm fearin' for my home town. It's closer than the Canyon. You comin' with me'll cost you half a day. But if you don't come... I dunno what's up, but I'm afraid."

Nanaki appeared as if he were about to say something in response, but then merely nodded. He stood back up, then loped at full speed towards Corel.

"What's happening, Papa?" Marlene asked from her spot on Barret's lap.

"I dunno, sweetheart. But I'm sure everything'll be fine." He gave her a few more comforting words, reassuring her that nothing was wrong, and then drove his heels into his chocobo's flanks, sending it racing ahead at full speed.

It took them an hour to reach Corel at their speed, and what they found when they got there astonished them. Normally, the village of Corel was a small, 'backwater' mining camp more than it was a village. It was hardly populated at all these days, but what they found was not what they expected at all.

Corel was deserted.

No one was there. It was as if everyone had just decided to leave at once. Red XIII immediately began to look for tracks, while Barret, with Marlene in tow, searched individual shacks, huts and tents for people. It was completely dark when he finished, and he hadn't found any evidence of any people. It looked as if it had been abandoned within the past day or so. Things had just been dropped, food still left out... for whatever reason the people of Corel had left, they had done so in a hurry.

Barret decided to check the mine shafts, thinking maybe the people had found a refuge of some sort there. Walking up to the entrance, he pulled out a flashlight and flicked it on, pointing the light into the dark tunnel. Immediately he was forced to scoop up Marlene and hold her against his chest, her face turned away from the sights within. Bodies of men lay in the passageway, all holding pick axes, mattocks, and hammers, all showing evidence of having fought in a battle. All about them were large piles of white ash. The former leader of Avalanche picked up a hammer that had been discarded and held it up, ready to defend himself from whatever may come. He also took one of the miner's helmet's, which had a small light on the front. With the hammer in one hand, and Marlene in the other, he wouldn't be able to carry his own flashlight.

He thought about leaving Marlene behind, but knew that would be even worse than bringing her inside with him. He would not leave his daughter alone outside.

"Baby... remember how Cloud and Tifa used to teach Daddy about Materia?"

"Yeah," she said, a tinge of fright in her voice. Despite his shielding of her, she had seen what was in the tunnel.

"Did you pay attention?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I need you to do Daddy a favor. I need to carry you and this hammer at the same time, so I'm not gonna be able to play around with any of my Materia. Think you can use a Fire Materia just in case any monsters show up?" He hated asking his daughter this, but there was no other choice.

"I think so. Are the monsters gonna get us?"

"No. No they're not."

Setting the hammer down, he pulled off a Fire Materia from his bangle, then handed it to his daughter. "Don't be afraid to use it for light if you're scared."

The girl nodded, and cradled the orb like she would a baby. Picking his hammer back up, Barret walked into the mine purposefully. The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, sinking deeper and deeper into the Planet. The further he went, the more bodies he found, all surrounded with the same, odd white piles of ash. Their bodies were covered with large gashes, and on some, burns. The cuts all appeared to be precise, as if from some sort of weapon. Whatever had killed these people, it hadn't been a monster attack.

The light shining from his helmet didn't help much, but when movement registered in his field of view, he stopped, then carefully set Marlene down.

"Honey, I need you to wait here for Daddy. I'll be right back."

"Okay..."

Gripping his hammer in both hands, he set out into the darkness towards the movement. He found the source immediately. It was a woman. Her skin was all white, as was her hair. Her clothes were gray, a look of battle garb. A long, thin sword hung at her side. She was clawing frantically at a pile of rubble that blocked the passageway further into the cave.

_They must have collapsed it. Meaning whatever it was that happened, must've come from the cave..._

"Hey!" Barret called, getting the woman's attention.

She turned, focused now on him, her hands coming away from the wall, completely bloodied. A zealous look filled her eyes, a burning zeal that conflicted with her icy appearance.

"Are you with her?" she asked.

"Who?"

The woman's eyes narrowed, a look of suspicion crossing her face. "The Queen of the Sky. Are you with her?"

"The hell you talkin' about? I'm with no one but myself, Avalanche, and the damned Planet. Who are you, lady? Who's this Queen? What happened here?"

But the woman didn't answer. She let out a harsh scream and drew her sword. Barret lifted his sledge hammer in defense, taking the blowing on the shaft. He parried, then swung, but found she had already recovered and was attacking again. Using all of his strength, he switched the path of his hammer from an attack against her body to one against her weapon, slapping it inside.

_She's crazy. She woulda died if I'd kept goin' with that swing. But then, I would've, too._

He drove his hammer against her weapon again, breaking the sword cleanly in half.

"Listen, lady, I just want answers!"

The woman howled again, and picking up the shards of her weapon, lunged at Barret again. Almost casually, he side stepped and then brought his sledge down on her back. She crumpled like a heap, falling to the ground. When her body hit the floor, she turned instantly to ash.

"The hell?"

He gave a final look at the sealed cave, and then gave an exasperated sigh. There weren't going to be any answers here. Quickly making his way back, he picked up Marlene, and ran out of the cave as quickly as he could. Outside, he found Red XIII waiting at the entrance.

"What'd you find?" he asked the feline.

"Most of the people either fled, or went into that mine. The ones who ran went into the mountains towards the direction of Cosmo Canyon. I think they look to seek solace there from whatever happened here. Other than that... I smell only ash. What did you find?"

Barret shook his head. "I don't know. More questions, that's for damn sure."


	16. Skulking

Author's Notes:

Reno: Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiins...

Reeve: Stop. Just stop. What the hell are you doing?

Reno: Saying 'brains' because I desire them.

Reeve: Okay. I can see why. You don't have any, so you want some. I understand fully, Scarecrow.

Reno: No no, it's not like that. Y'see, it's because Tyramir originally intended the new enemy to be a pack of zombies or something.

Reeve: You're not serious, are you?

Reno: Yep! I think he's seen too many bad B movies.

Reeve: Me too. In any case, I'm glad he decided not to do that. That would have been as brainless as you.

Reno: I know. Wait... hey!

Reeve: In any case, Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Reno: Wait. Where's Hojo? He's supposed to be my new side kick!

Chapter Sixteen

Skulking

When Yuffie had said that she had wanted to go home to Wutai, she hadn't been _entirely_ lying. She did want to go home. A little. She missed Da Chao, and the shrine to Leviathan, and even teasing Gorki and Chekhov and everyone back at her place. She missed her own private stash of Materia, nestled safely in a little hidey hole that only she knew about. She ever missed her father. A little. Barely. On second thought, she didn't miss him at all. 'Be a good little girl and deliver this sword to a champion so you can get out of my hair.' Every time she thought of the dismissal, she got a little angry.

While she wanted to go home a little bit, she wanted to go to Junon most of all. Why? Because Junon was always fun. It was a seedy city with danger lurking in alleyways. Shinra soldiers routinely patrolled its streets to make sure outside influences like her wouldn't influence anyone. It had an evil tyrant, that lame ass poser, Rufus. It had all the makings of a city filled with adventure.

Especially the love interest.

Well, maybe love was a bit too strong. She didn't _love_ Reno. That would be naive. No. She only thought he was cool. He did what he wanted, no matter what anyone told him. And he was a good fighter, and he _was_ really cute. Yuffie bet that Reno's father never told him what to do.

So it was with all this in mind that Yuffie decided to forgo the boat to Junon and merely stood on the docks, waving to Barret, Red and Marlene as they sailed for their homes. Only Marlene waved back. Yuffie grunted. Barret and Red could be so rude sometimes. As if she weren't a member of their group or something. It was almost like they were embarrassed to know her. They should have felt honoured that the daughter of Lord Godo had been jumping up and down on the docks, swinging both arms in the air and yelling, "Goodbye, guys! I'll miss you! Bring back some Materia so I can steal it from you!"

Watching the boat leave, she wondered at what she was going to do in Junon. There was always a few ways to make some quick gil in this city, most of them illegal, and money was always nice. She never actually spent it, preferring just to steal what she needed, or wanted, but the actual having of money was a good feeling.

Or, she could just move on to the main course of what she was really there for.

A grin spreading across her face, Yuffie skipped away from the dock and began to head for the main Shinra office. Right away she encountered a stumbling block.

"What do you mean, 'you don't take bribes anymore?'" she demanded outrageously. This was ridiculous! Shinra guards, especially the ones working in Junon, were famous for taking money slipped under the table. Especially when it was something as harmless as letting someone into the building who didn't belong.

The guard shifted his weight, and said, "I'm sorry. Normally, I'd be glad to take in a little extra money, but... well, ever since President Rufus retook Shinra, he began changing policy. Especially when he saw a guard take a bribe on his way in. Used to be, you get caught, you got a slap on the wrist. Now, Rufus has you fired. And not just you. Your whole _family_. He makes sure anyone caught taking a bribe suffers. Now get out of here before I have to take you in for questioning."

"Take me in for questioning? Are you kidding?"

He sighed. "No. We're supposed to arrest any suspicious looking people who may be snooping around, especially... Hey, wait. Aren't you one of those chicks from Avalanche?"

"Uh... no. You must be thinking of that mega-babe Yuffie Kisaragi, though. People say I look a lot like her. I have to go now. Bye!" She waved her hand and darted away from the building and into the adjacent alleyway.

_Well, this sucks. Stupid Rufus and his iron-fisted rule._ _Well, on to plan B then._

She wasn't entirely sure that she _had_ a 'Plan B' until she saw a ventilation shaft wheeze out a small greenish-gray cloud of Mako vapor. She nearly gagged at the thought of entering the building through it, but resigned herself to it.

Walking over to the vent, she tried to pry it open and found she couldn't. She looked carefully at it, and saw that it wasn't just a regular vent. Or at least, it wasn't treated like a normal one. Locks held it in place on all sides, and, after a moment of careful searching, Yuffie spotted a small security device hooked to the outer edge. If anyone removed the cover, an alarm would go off.

_Oh come on! When did Shinra get this kind of security? What the hell has Rufus done to this place?_

Sighing, she pulled a Fire Materia from her weapon, Conformer, and began to melt the grill of the vent. Such unprofessional naivete. This was almost too easy.

_If you're going to turn your corporation into an impenetrable fortress, you should do it right. This is almost a joke._

She finished carving a hole large enough for her to fit through into the grill, and then yanked the offending remains out of the way. She put her Fire Materia back, and pulled out an Ice in its place, casting a cooling spell on what was left of the grill. She gagged once as another puff of Make vapors wheezed out of the vent, then climbed in. Strapping Conformer to her back since it was too large to wield in the vent, she began to crawl through the endless tunnels inside Shinra's Junon office.

She took her time exploring, despite the awful Mako vapors and their disgusting smell, and made notes of where everything was she encountered. Eventually, she found an access panel that led her out of the ventilation system and into the air conditioning ducts. She began viewing offices through small grills, and as before, made careful notice of where things were located.

At one point, she heard something in the tunnels with her, but when she went to investigate, she saw nothing. Chalking it up to paranoia, she headed back the way she had been going, and kept peeking out of grills, looking for any sign of anything remotely interesting.

She did this for a few hours, becoming more bored as she went along. It wasn't nearly as fun as she had hoped, and after a while she decided to take a nap.

When she woke up, she looked down into an office and found it empty. Everyone must have gone home by now. Even Shinra let its employees keep nine to five hours. Kicking open the grill, she hopped down, then quickly cleaned up the evidence of her entry. She snooped around, playing on people's computers, looking for a map of the building. Not finding one, she resigned herself to wandering hallways and stairwells.

_This is boring. That's it, I'm leaving_.

She turned to do just that when something posted on the stairwell wall caught her attention. She looked at it and nearly smacked herself on the forehead. A building map. She had probably passed a dozen of them in her wanderings and never even noticed them.

She found the office for the Turks, but groaned when she realized that it was not only on the other side of the building, but eight floors down. She really didn't feel like walking it right now. Looking for something interesting closer to her, she saw the marking for the President's office, and grinned to herself. Messing up Rufus' stuff and snooping through any files he had might be fun.

She hopped up the three flights of stairs to get to it, and found that the door was locked by a key card. It was more than likely protected with a security device, too. Probably motion censors, heat detectors, everything that the President of Shinra could buy. She wasn't equipped to handle most of the stuff that would inevitably be protecting the room against intruders. So, she'd have to make this quick, retreat to the air ducts, and then wait out security.

Pulling a Lightning Materia out, a devilish look covered her face. The door blasted in with a blaze of electricity, and she quickly hopped inside. And just as quickly, something came down on the back of her head. The last thing she heard before she lost conciousness was Reno's taunting voice.

"Yeesh, took you long enough."

Author's Notes:

Ug... not my finest piece of work. That, and my hands are killing me from work. They're all stiff and locked up. Makes it hard to type. Sorry if that delays any future chapters.


	17. Decisions

Author's Notes:

Reeve: You just captured Yuffie.

Reno: Woo! Yai me! Rufus will give me a pay raise to be sure!

Reeve: You know what this looks like? You just captured a character that has expressed interest in you. This is so much like the Rude kidnaping Tifa thing from Search For the Promised One, it ain't even funny.

Reno: Wait. Yuffie expressed an interest in me?

Reeve: ... Never mind. The point is, you're an idiot. Wait, no. The point is, Tyramir is being unoriginal.

Reno: No no, this is totally different. _I_ don't like Yuffie, and I captured her. Rude liked Tifa and kidnaped her because he didn't want to kill her. This is waaaaay different.

Reeve: If you say so. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Seventeen

Decisions

Rufus stalked from the medlab to the brig in a near fury. People dodged out of his way as they saw him coming, preferring to press themselves against the walls and show their fear than to risk a confrontation with their President this day. No one knew why he was angry, and no one really cared to ask. The important thing was that he was angry, and no one feared the wrath of Rufus more than his own employees.

As people dodged and ducked out of his way, Rufus couldn't help but feel disgusted. Fear was a tool to be used, to be cultivated. It inspired people to do better, to become better. But this type of fear was sickening. His own men and women were nothing but spineless fools, too terrified to even look into the eyes of their own leader. There was such a thing as too much fear, and this was well over that edge. Either he needed to step down his authoritarian method, or his people needed some more steel in them. Suddenly, Rufus began to appreciate Reno all the more. At least he had something to him that said he was willing to stand up against something any ordinary man would balk at.

First Reeve had been seriously injured by his own creation, and now... _this_. And the fact that Reno had _let_ it happen. Actually planned for it. And hadn't even notified him. So like him. Rufus didn't know if the man was brilliant or a complete idiot. At the moment, he was more inclined to believe the latter.

The guards at the brig didn't even try to identify him. They, like everyone else, knew him on sight, and made way, opening the door for him. One followed after, obviously not liking the prospect from the way he hung back. When they reached the cell in question, Rufus stood to one side as the guard opened it.

Stepping inside, Rufus motioned the guard to shut the door behind him. The man didn't hesitate, or even question the decision. He merely did it.

Inside the cell stood Reno and Elena, each to one side. Reno was negligently holding his electro-mag rod, and Elena had both hands clasped behind her back. Both were watching the prisoner who was chained to a chair in the middle of the room. Her head was slumped down, and her body limp.

"Is she awake?"

"Not yet," Reno said. "I hit her pretty hard."

Rufus frowned, then walked to the chair and lifted the girl's head. There was no resistance, no strength in her as he did so. He had to stop himself from slapping her awake.

"Yuffie Kisaragi," he said. "You will stop pretending to be unconcious now. If you don't, we'll take the Leviathan Materia we took from your weapon and have it sent down to processing in the Underwater Reactor."

Her eyes immediately snapped open, and she let out a fierce growl. Rufus released her chin and stepped back. "That's better. What were you doing in my office?"

The girl shrugged, or at least as much as she could encumbered in chains as she was. "Just snooping, seeing what was what. I was curious."

"You broke into the most secure building in the Shinra Organization just to... snoop?" he asked incredulously. "Somehow I don't believe you."

"Most secure?" she said, giving a chuckle. "You've gotta be kidding me. This place was a joke. Any ninja from Wutai could've broken in here without any problem. Even the first year students, and they're only eight years old."

Reno grunted. "You got captured, didn't you?"

"I... uh... let myself be captured. Just so I could taunt you." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Rubbing his forehead with one hand, Rufus began to feel the comings of a headache. He motioned for Elena and Reno to follow him, then knocked on the cell door. The guard opened it, and the two went into the hall way. Distancing themselves from the cell so Yuffie couldn't overhear, Rufus asked, "What really happened tonight?"

Reno shrugged. "I sent out a recon bot to explore the vents looking for Cait Sith and found her instead, napping in there. Figured she'd try to cause mischief soon as she thought out guard was down, so I had everyone evacuate that section of the building, and changed all the clocks to make it look like it was after hours."

"There is no after hours with Shinra. There's always someone working here."

"Yeah, but I figured she wouldn't know that. Anyway, I disconnected all the computers from the main network so she wouldn't be able to do anything there. After that, I figured she'd try to make it to either the Turk office or yours. So I waited in your office, and Elena was at ours. Just waited her out at this point."

Rufus nodded. Thoroughly professional, so unlike how he imagined Reno. The man was somewhat intelligent once he actually got to work.

"What do you really think she was here for?"

Elena answered, "I think I know, sir. After the last Jenova incident, Yuffie engaged me in... uh... some girl talk."

"Girl talk?"

The woman nodded, blushing a little, almost as if she were embarrassed. "We spoke for a while, and I got to understand her a little more. I don't think she was here to cause any real mischief. I think she was here to spy on Reno."

Reno and Rufus both asked at the same time, "Why?"

"She has a crush on him, sir."

Reno sputtered, and Rufus had to force the smirk that demanded to be let loose not to show. "You're certain? This isn't just a feeling, or woman's intuition speaking?"

"Absolutely positive, sir. She outright told me."

Reno was bent over and beginning to make gagging noises. When he finally stopped and came up for air, he asked, "Why the hell does she like me? What did I do to deserve this?"

"Remember when you rescued her from Corneo at Da Chao? Or when you rigged your 'mag rod to disrupt most of the Soldier army? She does. That, and she thinks you're cute."

"Ug... the ladies always liked me. My blessing has finally become a curse."

Rufus had to resist the urge to laugh. He knew exactly how to solve this. And it would kill many birds with one stone. At least four that he knew of. He turned away from the two Turks and went back to the cell. The guard opened it for him again, and the three filed back in.

"Yuffie..." Rufus said, "Whatever am I going to do with you?"

"You could let me go," she said, shifting slightly in her chains. Rufus' eyes narrowed as he noticed something, and he smiled coldly. This would work out perfectly.

"Yes, I suppose I could. Do you have any idea of the mess you've put me in? By breaking into Shinra headquarters, and my office specifically, I have to make some sort of example out of you. However, there are two reasons that I can't do just that. The first being that you're the daughter and sole heir of Lord Godo. Shinra isn't at full strength as of yet, and it can't afford a second war with Wutai just now. In a year, yes. But not now. The second being that the leader of Avalanche, a group you're a part of, sent me a treaty of peace. I've decided to accept this treaty."

Reno coughed, caught off guard again. Elena made no noise, but he saw her shuffling uncomfortably out of the corner of his eye.

"In it, Strife clearly states that Shinra is not to harm any member of Avalanche for any reason. In response, Avalanche is not to hinder Shinra in any way. It's a rather pitifully outlined treaty, but I'll revise it soon enough. Since I'm assuming you acted without any prior knowledge of this treat, I can safely assume you did not knowingly violate it. But that doesn't mean you didn't. So I'm willing to offer a compromise, of sorts."

"A compromise?" Yuffie asked, almost eager in her tone to hear her lesser punishment.

Rufus steeled himself, knowing the objections which would shortly be raised. "As punishment for breaking into Shinra headquarters, and as a gesture of good faith towards Cloud Strife and Avalanche, your punishment is as follows. You will enter service into Shinra as a member of the Turks--"

"No fuckin' way!" Reno said. "I'm not taking a kid on--"

"Silence yourself, Reno, or I will do it myself. Remember respect. Now, as I was saying. You will enter service into Shinra as a member of the Turks for one year. During that year, you will be provided with a place to stay, as well as food and clothing. You will receive one quarter pay of normal Turk commission for all missions performed by you during that year. If you wish to remain with the Turks after the year is finished, you may. If you do so, full pay will be given to you for every mission done thereafter. All of your belongings will be given back to you save your Leviathan Materia. I know of its importance to both you and your people. It will be kept for the year to ensure loyalty. I'd rather not have it sent to processing, but if you break this compact, I'll do it. Do you understand?"

The girl nodded weakly.

"Good. Now, Reno, I will listen to your objections."

"She's just a kid."

"As were you when you first joined the Turks," Rufus said. "Next?"

"She's annoying."

"Yes, she is, isn't she? But the same could be said about yourself. Was there anything else?"

Reno seemed to be struggling, as if groping for a reason not to let her into the Turks. "She's not good enough to make the cut. I mean, c'mon... she got captured and went down without a fight. She's sitting here all helpless and in chains. No Turk would put up with that kind of thing."

Rufus nodded, "I will merit that objection. However, I have a counter argument. If I can successfully prove to you that she's not as helpless as she seems, will you cease your resistance and let her into the Turks?"

The red-haired man looked a little dubious, but after a moment he nodded. "Sure, what the hell? I don't believe you can do it, though."

Rufus turned away from Reno and looked back to Yuffie. "Ah, Ms. Kisaragi. If you will...?"

The girl rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, then stood up, the chains on her falling away. She casually brushed herself off. Rufus glanced back at Reno, who stood staring with his jaw hanging open.

"Do close your moth, Reno. Now, Yuffie, do you accept the terms as I've stated them? One year of service as a member of the Turks in exchange for a full pardon?"

Yuffie didn't even hesitate. "You bet. This sounds like fun."

"Splendid. Now that that's over and done with, I have a mission for you."

Author's Note:

Bwuahahaha... I seem to be having far too much fun with Yuffie. And not only did I _like_ writing Rufus this time around, I had _fun_. Normally it doesn't go that far with ol' Roof. All right... the pieces are more or less in place. Now I just have to start moving them around.


	18. Refuge

Author's Notes:

Before I get into the actual disclaimer, I'd like to thank everyone who takes the time to review me. You don't have to do it, and it makes me glad when you do.

I don't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Eighteen

Refuge

The three of them, Barret, Marlene and Red XIII departed Corel with a solemn air. Seeing his home town reduced to nothing once more left Barret more shaken that he was willing to admit, but he made sure to put on a brave act for his adopted daughter. Before they left, Barret salvaged what he could, and found travel provisions for them, as well as two mattocks for himself which he strapped in his belt at each side. The hammer he hooked into his saddle on the chocobo. If they encountered anything on the road to Cosmo Canyon, he would be prepared to fight.

There trip was hurried, but uneventful for the most part. They encountered no travelers at all, and that worried Barret. Worse, they encountered no monsters at all, either. It was if something had scared them all away to whatever hiding places they could find.

Red XIII scouted ahead of them at all times, sniffing the ground and looking for tracks. The ones that he did find, which were few, continued in the same direction that they traveled. After a while, they even discovered tracks from various wheeled machines, probably buggies, that were headed in similar directions, from the direction of Gold Saucer.

"I think we should check out Gongaga," Barret declared after their second day of travel.

Red XIII snorted, looking into the small fire of their campsite. "Foolishness. We must get to Cosmo Canyon as quickly as possible. Besides, it's closer."

Barret was about to object, loudly, but he saw the worry in his companion's eyes and shut his mouth. It was only fair. They had gone to his home. He should give Red's home the same consideration. So Barret stayed quiet on the matter and didn't push it further.

They started early the next day, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. Swiftly they journeyed, pushing themselves to go on until they reached a small river that blocked their passage further.

"Now what the hell are we gonna do?" Barret asked, looking at the rapid current. He had completely forgotten about the river, remembering that it had caused them no problems before because Avalanche had had a buggy on their last trip through this area.

Red looked as if he were about to answer, then stopped. He sniffed once at the air, then at the ground. He began to walk alongside the riverbank, following his nose to some unknown location.

"The hell you doin'?"

"Looking for the place where someone's been sawing wood."

"Sawin' wood? The hell you talkin' about?"

Red stopped, then turned to look back at Barret. "Someone's been working with lumber. And fairly recently. I can smell the sawdust in the air. As well as people."

"So what? Someone's been busy. Big deal."

"Busy doing what, though? I believe someone's made us a bridge. I intend to seek it out."

The feline loped ahead on silent paws, leaving Barret and Marlene to follow after on their chocobo. They didn't have far to go until the small party ran across a series of bridges being constructed by a group of men in ragged work clothes. The bridges that were complete held a steady stream of people crossing, with thousands more clustering behind, eager to get across. Not far from it all was a type of stage with a heavily muscled man on top, holding a microphone. He periodically shouted intructions, such as, "Slowly! Not too many at a time! That bridge won't hold if it's jammed tight!"

Barret squinted at the man, trying to make him out in the fading light. He wore traveling clothes, albeit nicely made ones. He had a bearing about him, almost regal, proud... and that of a warrior. He looked familiar.

"Who is that?"

Red XIII snorted. "Your human eyesight continues to amaze me with its lack of vision. Or is it your memory that's just poor?"

"You don't have to be insultin'."

"I'm sorry," the feline apologized. "I'm just tired, and worried for my people. I didn't mean to be rude. I am... on edge. Something is coming, more terrible than I can imagine, and I feel as if I am helpless. It is not a feeling that I am used to. At least with Meteor and Sephiroth, we knew what the danger was. Now? I am not so confident."

Barret nodded. "Yeah, I know how you feel. Whatever this is already got my hometown. I dunno if it's got to Cosmo Canyon yet. But anyway... you were saying earlier... who's that guy on the platform?"

Red XIII glanced back to the man supervising the evacuation to Cosmo Canyon, then answered, "Dio, of Gold Saucer. The man who ran it before this all happened."

"Makes sense. Prob'ly got his people out of there soon as it happened, and got 'em to the best place they could run. Think Cosmo Canyon will be able to support this many people?"

"I don't know. We've never attempted before."

Barret grunted. "Aw hell. Now's a bad time to try to find out. I'll go talk to Dio. See what he's up to. Maybe he needs help. Watch Marlene for me?"

Marlene made a sound, but Barret hushed her. Red nodded, "It will be my pleasure."

Barret picked Marlene up and placed her on the ground, then dismounted off his chocobo. The girl walked up hesitantly to the feline warrior, who placed his head under one of her hands, urging her to pet him. She cringed away at first, still uncertain at this animal who could talk. Red licked her hand a few times, and she giggled. Turning away from them, he moved to the stage to go speak with Dio.

The man spotted him right away and gave him a surprised smile. "You're that Wallace fellow, aren't you? The one I locked away in the desert then let go because Cloud won the chocobo race then explained to me about Dyne."

"Yeah. I'm the one."

Dio gave him an appraising look, settling down on his bionic hand. "I remember you having a gun-arm. You wouldn't happen to have that on you, would you?"

Barret shook his head. "Left it in Kalm with Cloud. Wanted a peaceful vacation at home with my daughter. Didn't expect all this."

Dio nodded. "I can understand. Bad time to leave it behind, though. Bad time indeed. Those damned albinos are crawling everywhere on this continent. Who knows where they came from or how many there are?"

"I've been to Corel. Looks like they came out of the mines or somethin'."

"So I heard from the survivors. Apparently it was a massacre. They came out of the mines while men were down there. The miners retreated, but those albinos chased after them. Luckily, they don't like the sun too much, so once the miners got out, they didn't get followed. They could've just fled like everyone else has who's encountered them... but the people from Corel are made of sterner stuff than most, I'd guess. They had the women, children and elderly head for Cosmo Canyon while the men went back into the mine and closed it off. Not many made it out of there. Probably twenty, maybe less."

"Ah hell. Y'think they live underground or somethin'?"

"They're albinos, and since where underground's where they're coming from, I don't just think it. But it doesn't matter where they're from. The important thing is surviving, and that's why we're headed to Cosmo Canyon. Best place to defend ourselves. Narrow canyons, high places to fight from. We might just live through this if there aren't too many of them."

Barret nodded. "Anything else I should know?"

Shrugging, Dio answered, "Not too sure. Silly things, mostly. People are getting superstitious. But some of the men I sent ahead to Cosmo Canyon came back with some weird reports. Apparently there's been some sort of... angel sighted there, and it's been fighting off the albinos. Single handedly driving away their probing attacks, as a matter of fact. Not sure how much credit to give these reports, but people keep saying he has weird glowing eyes, and fights with a glowing sword. Real long one, apparently."

Barret felt a chill grip him. That description. But it couldn't be... he was dead. Twice over.

Dio continued, "Anyway, we could sure use your help. You're strong, and I'm sure you could fight with the best of 'em. When it comes time to start killing those things, I'd like you by my side."

Barret nodded, answering that he would be there. He walked away, hurriedly moving to find Red XIII. When he found the cat, he saw Marlene sitting on him and rubbing his ears. He was purring contently, both of his eyes closed in bliss.

"We have trouble, Red."

One of the feline's eyes opened, and he asked. "Trouble? What kind?"

"Sephiroth."

Author's Notes:

Arg, sorry this took so long to write. I haven't been feeling well, and between work, this blasted flu, and my hands being screwed up, I'm not up to par at the moment. I'll try to post the next chapter ASAP, but no promises.


	19. Picnic

Author's Note:

Reno: Brrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiins...

Reeve: We've already done this joke.

Reno: ... But... it's funny!

Reeve: No, it's not. Just stop now.

Reno: Okay. I have a joke to tell you then.

Reeve: No. Because I just know it's going to be that stupid one about Turks changing light bulbs again.

Reno: ... Crap. Okay, I got it! Knock knock!

Reeve: I made that joke, remember?

Reno: No seriously. It's funny. I swear, you've never heard it.

_BANG_

Reno: You... you shot me... again! You bastard!

_BANG BANG BANG_

Reeve: Just die already.

Reno: Working on it. Doing a lot of bleeding.

Reeve: Splendid. In the mean time, Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Reno: ... Cast... cure!

Reeve: Son of a ...

Chapter Nineteen

Picnic

Tifa lay back on the grass, taking in the sight of the sky, smiling contently. The past couple days had gone... well, they'd gone perfectly. Which she had been desperately afraid that they wouldn't. So many things had haunted her for so long... Sephiroth, Shinra, Nibelheim, Cloud... all of it. She had nearly forgotten what it was like to be truly happy. And yet, here she was, happy. And with a Turk, no less! But not just any Turk. _Her_ Turk.

She grinned foolishly, and rolled slightly, flopping into Rude. His chest was bare save a gold necklace hanging loosely around his neck, a small silver ring hanging off it. She had been meaning to ask him about it, but as always, refrained from doing so. It was probably one of those personal things that he liked to keep to himself, and he would tell her when the time came. And come it would, eventually. He just needed that time to prepare himself.

Rude glanced down at her through his sunglasses, his face straight showing no expression to the average person. But Tifa was getting to know him, and saw the little twitch in his chin. He was smiling. Heavily resisting it, but smiling. He was happy, too. She snuggled into his side.

"I'm ready to tell you."

She lifted her head immediately, looking Rude in the eye as much as possible. But with his eyes hidden behind those sunglasses, she had little success. She nodded to him, but made sure to make her look as supportive as possible. He slowly sat up, making sure she rose with him, so he didn't accidently knock her off of him by accident.

"I... I'm no good at this kind of thing," he started. "I don't like to talk often. I've never... been good with words. Reno used to say that I do my talking with my fists, and I guess that's true. But it makes me look more like a thug than anything."

"You're not a thug. You do care."

"Do I? I'm not so sure. I care about you, so I'm with you, doing what you guys do. But I don't really believe in it. I don't believe in Shinra, either. Haven't believed in much of anything in some time."

She took one of his hands and held it in both of hers, trying to reassure him. The words didn't surprise her. She wasn't naive enough to think that he believed in Avalanche or its cause. She knew he'd never run around the world trying to save it if not for her.

He continued, "I guess what I'm trying to say is... Soldier. I was in it, you know that much. But I wasn't in it for long. I was a member of the Turks first, and as a Turk, part of our job was to look for Soldier candidates. I asked that Tseng recommend me for the job. I liked to fight, and the war was the perfect chance to prove my skills.

"Tseng asked if I knew what I was doing, and at the time, I thought I did. So he put in the recommendation, and I got accepted. That's where I met Lucrecia Hargun. She'd just come out of hiding to work for Shinra again, thinking maybe everything would be fine if she just tried to live a normal life again. Or maybe she just wanted to work for them because she wanted to be near her son. I don't know. But she was... odd. She did the tests on me, determined I was good enough to be in Soldier, and then set me up with the Mako process."

Tifa nodded, knowing now how he had known Lucrecia in the past. It made some sense now. She hadn't known that Lucrecia had returned to Shinra for a brief time after Sephiroth's birth. She had always just assumed that the woman had gone into hiding, like she was when Tifa had first met her.

Rude continued, "Took me a while to get used to the Mako enhancements. I was stronger than before... quicker, too. When I perfected my Grand Spark technique, Shinra got excited, and set me up for additional training. They thought I'd be something. They promised me I wouldn't just be on the front lines, I'd be doing Covert Ops stuff. I was really excited.

"Joke was on me. As soon as my training was finished, the war was over. Sephiroth had defeated Lord Godo in battle, and Wutai had surrendered. I felt robbed. Like I should have been the one to beat Godo. But suddenly, Shinra didn't have a use for me, or most of the other Soldiers. A lot of us were released, or turned into glorified security guards. It was almost considered a stain on your record to have been in Soldier.

"I put in a transfer to be put back into the Turks. Tseng wanted me back, but Shinra wouldn't have it. They wanted me, one of their best, to stay as an operative. But there was no work for me. Nothing to do. I had joined Soldier to fight, and got turned into an ornament."

Rude's fist began to clench, and Tifa made a noise as pain filled her hands. She made a small noise, and Rude abruptly stopped, coming out of the momentary anger. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay. You can go on."

"I... uh... I've never told anyone this. Only Tseng knew, and he's dead. You can't ever tell anyone. If this gets back to Shinra..."

She nodded, "I understand. I won't tell anyone."

He smiled. For that one instant, for a full second, a smile touched his lips. Then it flickered away, as if he remembered himself, and his normal stoic expression returned. "I asked Tseng for help. I told him I wanted back into the Turks desperately. That I'd do anything. He asked me if I was certain. I said yes.

"So he helped me die."

Tifa felt a chill go down her spine, and she involuntarily shivered. The way he said the words, with such lack of emotion, as if his voice was something of unlife, made her feel almost ill. "What do you mean, Tseng 'helped you die'?"

"I wasn't born 'Rude Seirath.' My birth name was 'Abner Owen.' I used to look quite a bit different, too. No goatee, full head of hair, no piercings. Face was different, too. Tseng helped Abner Owen in an explosion. Not just any, though. Remember Avalanche's first attack?"

"The reactor explosion?"

Rude shook his head. "No... this was before then. Avalanche's very first attack. Or, so it was publicized. A bomb in a guardhouse, killed one member of Soldier, and wounded several Shinra guards."

"That wasn't us. The media always said... you did it. And you were the Soldier that died, weren't you?"

"Yeah. I don't know where Tseng got the body from, but it was my size, and he switched the dental records around to make it look like it was me. I laid low for a few months, then joined the Turks again as Rude Seirath. Tseng got his favourite man back, I got to fight again. It was a fair deal. The only difficulty was keeping my identity a secret. So, Tseng had sunglasses issued as standard Turk wear, so I could hide my eyes. After a while, it got to be a habit."

"So that's why you always wear them, and put them back on as soon as someone sees you with them off."

"Yeah."

She let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He relaxed into her, almost melting away at her touch.

"We should probably call the others. See if they need us back yet," he said.

She sighed, then letting him go, retrieved her PHS from the picnic basket that had been left lying to the side, and dialed the number for Cloud. No ring sounded as she waited. Frowning, she looked over the PHS, and checked the battery power.

"Something wrong?" Rude asked.

"Yeah... the PHS isn't working for some reason. It's not sending its signal. Oh well. I guess they'll just have to do without us for another day."

"I guess so. What shall we do in the mean time, Ms. Lockheart?"

"I'm sure we can think of something, Mr. Owen. I mean, Mr. Seirath," she let out a giggle as she said it, then leaned over to kiss him.


	20. Terms

Reno: Gah! Rude! My former drinking companion! How could you??

Reeve: What?

Reno: He... he told Tifa about his past!

Reeve: Yeah. And I'm sure it was all romantic, too. What's your point?

Reno: .. But... he never told _me_ about his past!

Reeve: So? You're not giving him sex.

Reno: ... But I could!

Reeve: ... I'm not even touching that one. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Twenty

Terms

While everyone else was somewhere having fun, Cloud was forced to stay in Kalm. Not because he objected to fun, but because someone had to stay and hold the fort in case anyone came back early or if an emergency came up. And it wasn't like he wasn't enjoying himself. Oh no. He was most definitely entertained by his company with Aeris, especially after their conversation about their relationship and the direction it would take.

Admitting their love for each other had been easy enough. It had been there waiting to be said for some time, it was only an inevitability. Actually talking about their relationship had proven more difficult. Cloud, his brave front rapidly deteriorating in the face of potential happiness, had been reduced to stuttering and embarrassed looks where he couldn't quite meet Aeris' gaze. In the end, the Cetra girl had to take the brave and mighty Soldier in hand and lead him through it.

Their first attempts at kissing were awkward and not very well done. Cloud had missed the awkward part of his teenage years where he would have explored this territory, and now had to start from absolutely no knowledge at all. He was a complete rookie when it came to any aspects of a physical relationship.

At first, Cloud's awkwardness appeared cute, slightly attractive. It turned out to be slightly less so as they moved along through various stages of the physical aspect of their togetherness, and it took great patience and understanding on Aeris' part to see them through. Luckily, patience and understanding were both things the Cetra excelled in.

It was on the third day after the group had parted ways that the first of them returned. And the last one that either Cloud or Aeris expected. The erupt banging on the door to the room they were using at the inn broke them both away from the series of kisses they had been sharing, and Cloud shot the door an evil glare. Aeris just smiled and shrugged, and sighing, the Soldier washout stood up and crossed the room to answer the door.

When he did, he found Yuffie outside the door wearing a blue suit. A Turk suit.

"Yuffie--" he started.

"Jeez!" she yelled. "What took you so long to answer the damn door? It's not like it's brain surgery! No finesse involved! A lot like how you swing that sword of yours. If it takes you that long to..." The ninja stopped in mid-rant, noticing Aeris behind Cloud who was adjusting her clothes. "Oh. Ooooooh. Sorry. I... uh... I can wait."

"Hold on," he said. "What are you doing back so early? And in a Turk suit, no less?"

"I... uh... about that. That can be explained, see. I was busy infiltrating the Junon office of Shinra headquarters, right? And, I...uh..."

"You stole a Turk uniform to hide yourself? You know what Turks do to people they find have been impersonating them, right? Even if we are on good terms with them right now, I don't think they're appreciate it."

"Not exactly, heh. Uh... I..."

"What did you do?" Cloud said, his eyes narrowing.

Yuffie looked away, actually having the decency to look embarrassed. "I kind of got captured. But it's cool. Sort of. Rufus offered me a job."

"He offered you a job? As a member of the Turks?"

"Yeah. Apparently, he's kind of short-handed. And because of that treaty you sent him, and the fact that I'm my dad's daughter, he figured he couldn't actually hurt me. So he... kind of blackmailed me into working for him."

"He blackmailed you? With what? Telling the world you're a thief?" Cloud asked, an amused grin coming on his face. Despite the situation, Cloud was beginning to think that working for Rufus might actually give Yuffie a lesson in humility, something she definitely needed. "I don't think we need to hold the presses on that one."

"He has my Leviathan Materia."

"Oh." It was all Cloud could say. Yuffie valued Materia over almost everything else, but the Leviathan Materia was special. It was sacred not only to her, but to her entire people. Leviathan was almost a god in the eyes of the Wutaian population.

"He said he'd send it to processing if I didn't work for him for a year to 'pay off my debt' to him. He's such a bully sometimes. I would've joined the Turks just for the cool suit and the chance to do Turk stuff! And the money's nice. Even if I am only on quarter pay. I'm making ten thousand gil just for delivering you a message for crying out loud!"

"Wait. Why don't you just steal the Materia back from Rufus? I thought there wasn't a safe you couldn't crack."

She rolled her eyes, as if the very suggestion was blatantly stupid. "I _tried_ that already. I broke into his office right after they gave me the uniform, and looted the safe in there. You know what I found? My first paycheck, and a note saying not to try that again. He _expected_ me to do it."

Cloud couldn't help but laugh. Yuffie's loyalties had always been conflicted. She worked more for herself than anyone else, so he didn't have to worry about her betraying him to Shinra. No more so than usual, anyway. But the whole situation was just hilarious. Yuffie, captured and forced into a form of servitude! It was all so poetic in its justice.

"Hey! Stop that!" she protested.

"What's so funny?" Aeris asked as she came to the door.

Yuffie groaned, then sighed, then retold the story to Aeris. The Cetra had the decency to only smile and not to laugh in Yuffie's face. Instead, she asked, "What's the message that Rufus asked you to deliver?"

"Oh right. That's what I'm getting paid to do now, after all." She reached into the breast pocket of her suit, and produced a letter that was slightly crinkled, bent, and warped in a few places.

Cloud took it, and looked it over. "This has been opened."

"Yeah. I did that. I figured since you guys don't tell me anything, I've gotta read your mail instead. You never told me we had a truce with Shinra."

Aeris made a noise, and gave Cloud a questioning look. He answered, "I was going to mention that the next time the group was together. The Planet spoke to me a few days back and told me that a new danger was coming. It told me to put aside any animosity with Shinra and try to take on all the allies I could get. So I sent the beginnings of a treaty to Shinra."

Aeris nodded, and Yuffie grunted. Cloud ignored her and took the letter out of its envelope.

_Cloud Strife and Avalanche,_

_Your proposal for an alliance is intriguing, and unexpected. This supposed threat to the Planet, if there truly is one, must be dealt with. Normally, I would ignore such references to such a threat without proof, but I have had several signs of one shown to me. As such, I have agreed to your terms, provided you agree to mine._

_1) Neither I nor my company nor any who work for Shinra Incorporated will harm or interfere with any member of Avalanche for the duration of this truce. In turn, no member of Avalanche will harm or interfere with anyone in the employ of Shinra Incorporated. Furthermore, Avalanche is to cease any and all acts that could be construed as terrorism against Shinra.This includes any form of attack, sabotage, or propaganda against Shinra._

_As a gesture of good faith on my part, after Yuffie Kisaragi unlawfully broke into the Junon branch of Shinra, destroying property in her wake, I not only brought no harm to her person, but I offered her a job as well. No doubt she has already told you the details._

_2) I request the services of Shera Cole. She alone has any knowledge of the Highwind and the Gelnika model airships. I seek to rebuild them and use them as a possible form of weaponry against the upcoming threat. I will be blunt. Afterwards, it is entirely possible these airships will be used against Avalanche after this truce is concluded. However, I still maintain that Ms. Cole be asked for her participation in the modeling of these vessels. Ms. Kisaragi will observe the request to ensure that it has taken place. Whether or not Ms. Cole accepts does not alter the terms._

_3) As a further token of good faith on both mine Avalanche's part, I invite the Cetra, Aeris Gainsborough, to observe any details of Shinra's activities to ensure that this company will bring no harm to Avalanche. She will be given access to any file in Shinra's database that she wishes, and will be treated with the utmost respect. Her personal needs will be overseen by Reeve, who I believe you trust in some measure. He will ensure that no unnecessary harm will be brought to her. Make no mistake, however. Aeris will be something of a hostage in this situation. She will be given whatever she wants or needs, and be treated with respect due to one of her kind. No experiments will be made on her, as have been done in the past. She will _not_ be harmed as long as you keep to your word. This point is non-negotiable._

_Know this. I could have easily brought lawyers into this and added terms to their liking, involving reparations for previous attacks. But I am feeling merciful, and will accept a truce with Avalanche with as few conditions as possible. I expect Ms. Kisaragi's return, with Aeris and your agreement in writing, that you have accepted my terms._

_As enemies, we shook the ground with our separate might. As allies, no force can stand against us. Remember this._

_Rufus Shinra_

_President of Shinra Incorporated_

Cloud had to resist the urge to crumple the piece of paper and throw it into the nearest thing that produced fire. Before he could, though, Yuffie pulled it out of his hands and gave it to Aeris. Cloud tried to protest, but the young ninja stepped between him and the Cetra, preventing him from interrupting her as she read.

"She has a right to decide herself," Yuffie said. The look she gave Cloud was far more grown up than she usually let on.

When Aeris was finished, she smiled wistfully, and said, "Things always seem to be interrupting us, don't they?"

His heart lurched, and he protested, "You're not going to go along with this, are you? It's _Shinra_. You know what they've done in the past! They've hurt so many people, and you most of all. I can't ask you to do this."

"I know you can't. And you aren't. But Rufus is. And I think we need this truce. Shinra's powerful, and with the resources they can give us, we'll be able to put up a better fight against whatever's coming up against the Planet."

He could hear his own teeth grinding with the resistance against saying any demands that she not go, or delivering ultimatums. He softly pushed Yuffie out of the way and moved closer to her, putting his arms around her and holding her tightly.

"It's okay," she said. "Reeve will be there to look after me, and Yuffie. Even if Reeve doesn't fully remember us like Rufus claimed, he's still an honourable man."

He responded, "I'm leaving you with Yuffie and Cait Sith, both of who have proven ... unreliable in the past."

"Hey!" Yuffie said. "I'm right here, you know!"

"It'll be okay. We should probably go talk to Shera and ask her if she wants to come, too."

Cloud felt a pang of sadness as he let Aeris go, feeling that on some level, that as soon as they separated, they would never be together again.


	21. A Game of Cait and Mouse

Chapter Twenty One A Game of Cait and Mouse

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty."

Cait Sith eyed the Turk with a look of distaste only a cat could have perfected. As if there were any remote possibility of that actually happening.

He watched as Reno paced half stooped with his hands outstretched across the room, as if to be ready for the cat to leap out from under office furniture and into his waiting grasp.

In actuality, the doll lay comfortably perched on a shelf behind some kind of ornate paperweight, observing the Turk in silence as he searched the building for the errant toy. The Turk was good, but Cait was better; after all, Reno was a mere human. The feline was obviously superior based on race alone.

Reno cursed excessively when he bumped his knee into a jutting chair. Cait had cut the power to this section of the building, and while the human staggered about in the darkness in his hopeless search, the animated stuffed animal had evaded capture easily based on numerous environmental factors. One, he was a cat, and therefore of superior intellect to a human. Two, his eyesight was much better in the dark, moreso than a normal feline based on his robotic, night vision capable eyes. Three, he emitted very little heat, rendering infra red scanners useless. Four, he was smaller and more agile than either Turk, and could fit into places they couldn't even imagine existing in the building. Five, he didn't need to sleep, eat or drink while the humans tired easily in comparison. Six, as a robot he emitted no smell or noise, capable of staying even in awkward positions potentially forever. The list stretched on.

It had admittedly been a rough transition, from the dramatic escape from the guards to getting used to his new body while evading Reno and Elena, but Cait felt he had adjusted well into the mindset of a robotic stuffed toy, considering the circumstances.

He looked away in anxiety suddenly while Reno busied himself by grabbing a cushion from a chair and ripping it open below him. He was a cat. A robotic, stuffed animal. Panic gripped him, and not for the first time during the transition period. Hojo was in possession of his body. Nobody knew the truth, and moreover no one would believe him if he so much as spoke one word. How the hell was he going to get out of this one?

The door to the office creaked open. Elena poked her head into the room, weak, artificial light leaking in from emergency powered lights.

"How's it going?" she asked.

"How does it look like it's going, Elena," said Reno in distaste as he threw the cushion, mortally wounded, back onto the chair. "I'm tearing up office furniture thinking it' s in league with the toy. I'm going nuts. I don't know whether we're looking for a robot or a cat. It's probably in the air vents for all we know."

"Probably, but we need to search the building anyway."

Reno made a noise of contempt as he kicked a chair out of his way on the journey to the door. The emergency lights gave everything a red wash, undoubtedly adding to Reno's discomfort. So much the better for Cait.

"Why's it so important to them anyway?"

"Does it matter? If we asked the President, who knows what he'd do. You know he's been touchy when it comes to Reeve."

"Reeve," Reno snorted. "What's the big deal? Okay, he was less annoying than Scarlet or Hojo or Heidegger, but the President's going overboard here. Reeve's fine - two broken arms and two broken legs, but he'll live."

Cait smirked. At least, smirked as well as a cat could manage. The Mog had completed its task well. Then he frowned. He'd have four broken limbs if he got back into his body anytime soon. But in the mean time, that should keep Hojo out of trouble.

"Well, we've searched this wing. I'd forget about it and hope for the best if Rufus wasn't being so twitchy."

"Yes, but let's not annoy him, shall we?" Elena countered.

Reno threw a look at his subordinate. "That's the general idea. Come on, let's check the next floor. I don't see how it can still be here."

Elena shrugged and let Reno leave, then swept the room one last time before exiting and pulling the door shut behind her. Cait was left alone once again.

He considered his situation. He could very well travel along the air vents, but since Yuffie infiltrated the building they were being watched more closely than before. Plus, his paws didn't lend well to unscrewing bolted down vents with a screwdriver.

He could go to Rufus, but by the sounds of it he'd be dismantled four different ways before he could get a word out. The President thought that he was in the infirmary, and clearly blamed the errant toy for the suffering of 'Reeve.' If only he knew.

He could also go visit Hojo, but he doubted the productivity of such a meeting, and there was a high probability he'd be captured, again, before he could get a word out.

The toy raised onto his legs, coming up from his lying position behind the paperweight. His main objective remained to evade capture, and wait for an opportunity to present itself. That suited him partly; cats were very patient animals. He just worried in case Hojo accomplished what he aimed to do before he could switch their bodies back.

He jumped from the shelf, the floor thudding slightly from his impact. At the same time, the lights flared back on above his head and an alarm sounded.

Cait was a very resourceful individual. However, since inhabiting the body of a cat, he had noticeably picked up several traits of the feline; the air of superiority, as well as the physical augmentations. Unfortunately, he had also inherited the physical reactions of a cat; namely, when something unexpected happens, they freeze.

And that was exactly what Cait did. Froze on the spot while the alarm assaulted his ears and the lights his eyes. Froze an instant too long, and only the door slamming open to reveal Reno with fire in his eyes shook him from this momentary paralysis. He flew across the room, taking refuge under the furthest desk from the door. The Turk had him in his sights now, however; there would be no getting away from him as easily as last time.

The Turk barrelled across the office, throwing furniture out of his way on his mad pursuit. Cait, now with his wits about him, shot from beneath the desk and between the Turk's legs, Reno's momentum and the desire to follow the robotic cat conflicting and making him somersault into the side of the desk. Cait darted for the door, but Elena appeared with a small box; a cat box, Cait realised with distaste. It would not suit his newly acquired feline dignity to be unceremoniously dumped into such a container, and so veered off back towards his shelf from earlier on.

Reno was up, shouting expletives at the top of his lungs. Elena followed the bounding cat but wasn't a match for his speed. Cait leapt up and dug his claws into the wood of the shelving unit, dragging himself upwards towards his new goal; the open air vent, which was how he'd gained access to this room originally. Reno, however, had other ideas.

He launched himself at the shelves, tearing it away from the wall. Cait realised a moment too late what was happening, and just as he reached the top of the wooden structure it toppled away from the wall, destroying his chances of reaching the air vent. The shelves collapsed into the ground, the feline in turn throwing himself off and landing, naturally, on his feet.

The split second it took Elena to jump back from the explosion of pottery, wood and paper and Reno to roll onto the floor from the force of his own manoeuvre was all the distraction Cait needed to vanish; he disappeared under another desk, the Turks momentarily lost to his whereabouts. It was blindingly obvious where he had gone, but fortunately there were about fifteen desks he could have disappeared under, giving him adequate time to consider his next move.

The only remaining exit was the door, which Elena firmly planted herself in front of. Reno was actively displacing desks from their locations and checking their undersides for any trace of the fugitive animal. Cait obviously needed to get out of the door, but saw no way to distract Elena's attention. He decided to go with instinct, instead; the time for thinking had past.

As loudly as he could, he scrambled towards the back of the room, drawing Reno and Elena's attention. While the male Turk launched towards where the noise trail ended, Cait crept across the back wall, planning on going towards the other side of the room and surprising Elena, who expected movement from her other side.

It worked admirably well until it all fell apart in the pivotal final seconds.

He flew towards the gap between Elena's left leg and the door frame, only to have underestimated her reaction time. She swung the box around, ready to catch the cat and imprison him. This, obviously, would not have suited Cait at all. He bounded back towards the centre of the room, only to have lost track of Reno. He brushed the cat's back, he was now so close. Desperately, Cait looked for the most defensible position, ready to fight off Reno. The corner presented itself as the only option as he was chased into it.

Cait turned to face Reno and spat. Not the vulgar human way of spitting, of course, but the viciously elegant feline method. Reno looked less certain as Cait clawed the air in front of him as a warning. The Turk lunged. Nowhere left to run, Cait felt himself being grabbed by the chest and lifted into the air.

His first defensive reaction kicked in; the claws on his front paws extended fully, coming out through the fingers in his gloves, and gouged into the Turk's arm. A rewarding shout of pain bellowed from Reno's mouth, but he was slammed into the wall, allowing the Turk to reposition his hand so his front legs were pinned to his chest. So, the second defensive reaction kicked in.

Cait's boots, designed to allow his hind claws to unsheath, suddenly had a metal glint coming out the toe ends of them. Another bellow of pain as his back legs swept upwards, bringing their sharp passengers into flesh. Reno dropped the cat, and Cait, once again landing on his feet, could have sworn he heard Elena stifle a chuckle. He probably would have laughed himself, had he been watching on a video feed. He tried to run, but felt Reno's hand clamping onto the back of his neck and lifting him up by his scruff.

Feline instinct took over once again. Being lifted was fine, but by the scruff of the neck was another matter entirely; Cait felt his entire body stiffen in response to the maternal action. His paws stuck straight out, unable to attack the smug looking Turk.

Reno nodded to Elena, who brought forward the box. Cait was dumped inside, and with as much dignity as he could muster, knew when the game was up and allowed them to latch shut the door to the box. However, Reno then did something completely unexpected. He walked to the centre of the room and placed the cat box on a desk. He found a displaced chair, set it in front of the box, and sat down.

"So, do you want to tell me just what the hell is going on around here?"

Cait eyed the Turk speculatively. What the hell, he thought.

"Close the door," he said, and if Reno felt any surprise at hearing a cat talk, it didn't show in his face as he nodded to Elena, who complied instantly.

The door clicked shut, and Cait began to speak.

Author's Note:

This chapter was written entirely by Nisus, and was edited by me. I haven't been feeling well, so I asked him to do it for me. He was kind of enough to say yes. Next chapter should be up shortly. 


	22. Angelic Demon

Reno: Estaun intiniris, ira vehementi!

Reeve: What the hell are you babbling?

Reno: Latin, I think.

Reeve: And poorly. Just... why?

Reno: Y'see, it's the lyrics to One Winged Angel!

Reeve: Okay. And why are you singing that?

Reno: Because... y'know... Sephiroth!

Reeve: You sad little monkey boy. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Twenty Two

Angelic Demon

As Barret and Red XIII traveled, they heard more of what lay ahead. Cosmo Canyon was preparing for a siege. Men and women were taking up arms, canyons were being subjected to avalanches, forcing enemies to only come in through one direction. Unfortunately, that direction was the same one the refugees were coming through. There were no further stories of the albinos. Only the old ones lingered, the ones that said that in one night, they had forced the people Gold Saucer and Corel to flee from their homes, killing all who did not. There was no word from Gongaga, and if there had been any from Rocket Town or Nibelheim, they were heading in the wrong direction to hear it.

And whether or not it was a good thing, the two continued to hear stories of the angelic protector of Cosmo Canyon. But very few stories were the same. Some said he didn't exist at all, while some proclaimed that he was a creature of the heavens sent from the sky to defend humanity in its darkest hour. Some said he was an evil, twisted thing that only helped because he sought redemption from some foul act, and others even went so far as to say it only helped because it wanted to kill everyone for itself. A few whispered that the angel would lead mankind to a new home, a utopia... a Promised Land.

Even stories about the angel's appearance different. Some claimed he was an angel, sure enough, but others claimed he had claws and demonic wings and red eyes. In one group of gossipers, he was a beautiful man, perfect in every way. No one agreed on anything but one startling fact.

In his hands he wielded a sword no mortal man should be able to wield. The blade was long, longer even than the one who wielded it. And it wreaked such terrible destruction on its opponents. Nothing could stand in its path. Not man, not monster, not albino, not even rock or steel. There was not a thing that it could not cut. And odder yet, whenever the blade struck flesh, it never drew blood.

Barret recognized the decription right away. Masamune, Sephiroth's sword. And it was true what the people said. No man could wield that awesome blade save for Sephiroth himself, and he was supposed to be dead. But the closer the refugees got to Cosmo Canyon, the more the stories sounded as if the great Soldier himself protected the area from harm.

"It just ain't right," Barret said one day, walking alongside the chocobo while Marlene sat upon it.

"What isn't?" Red XIII asked.

"S'just fucked up. If it is Sephiroth, what the hell makes him so damn special?"

"What do you mean?"

Barret spat at the ground in disgust. "We've lost a lot of good people. Jesse, Biggs, Wedge. You didn't know them, but they were good people. We lost Cid, and more'n likely lost Vincent, too. And Sephiroth, the badass Soldier himself, doesn't only get to come back to life once, but _twice_. That's just fucked up."

"He deserves as much a chance as anyone," Red XIII explained. "Remember, when he was our enemy, he wasn't in control of himself. That was Jenova. Last time we met him, he was able to resist her. Perhaps he deserves another chance."

"Better people'n him deserve a chance, and they don't get it. That's my damn point."

Red XIII managed as much of a shrug as he could. "He is protecting my people, fulfilling the role I should be doing right now. I am content with who he is as long as he keeps Cosmo Canyon safe."

Barret shut his mouth, knowing that going any further would only antagonize his companion. He did have a point, though. As long as Sephiroth kept doing his thing, then everything should be fine. He should just accept that Sephiroth was back and that he was a good guy, a protector.

They continued their trek, and on the dawn of the fourth day since they had separated from the rest of Avalanche, they arrived in Cosmo Canyon. The red dust lay thick in the air, making it difficult to see, but still they traveled, over poor terrain, under the blazing sun, their morale damaged. Their journey seemed hopeless, like a frantic retreat from an enemy that they could not see, that they did not know, that they did not understand. After a time, the refugees realized that it only seemed that way because it was the reality of the situation.

When night fell, Dio called a halt, and everyone stopped and immediately began to set up camp. Barret noticed that everyone took on a practiced look, setting about readying makeshift shelters out of branches carried from their flight and blankets, producing amateur looking tents. Red XIII snorted in disgust at their shoddy work, but said nothing.

"Watch after my girl for a minute, Red," Barret said, then set out to go speak once more with Dio.

The man was unbuckling a leather strap from his chest which held a broadsword, and unsheathed the weapon. He nodded to Barret as he approached.

"One more day of travel, and we'll reach Cosmo Canyon," Dio said.

Barret grunted. "Think we'll make it?"

Dio shook his head sadly. "No. Reports of attacks on the Canyon have come to me from my scouts. I've lost about half of them already, too. Good fighting men. Men we can't afford to lose. I think that those damned albinos have been watching us, waiting for us to get deep into this place so they can attack us at night."

"Shouldn't we be tryin' to make some sort o' defenses then? Somethin' we can use to hide behind when the attack comes?" Barret looked back to the people, and saw them only setting up their tents, but no fortifications.

"They won't do it. No, that's not fair of me. They can't do it. Their homes have been lost, Wallace. They've been driven away by an unknown enemy. They have no morale. If I told them that an attack was going to come tonight, they'd scatter now. They aren't fighters. All we have is you, that cat, a few of my old security guards, and myself. Tell your companion to be on the look out tonight. All my men are going to be alert, but I figure that cat will see any attack coming first."

Barret nodded. The reality of this situation was beginning to sink in. If only Cloud and the others were here. Then they'd be able to drive away these damned albinos. If only he still had his gun-arm... then maybe he'd be able to put up a fight. He fingered one of the two mattocks strapped to his belt, and then turned and left to go get his sledge.

Night settled quickly, and the few hundred refuges began to sink into sleep. The camp was large, and Barret estimated that they only had two dozen people capable of protecting everyone. At least they had some Materia. That might count for something.

Red XIII patrolled the outlying area around the camp, and Barret stayed near the center of it, with his back to the large bonfire that the people had built. A stupid waste of the firewood some of the people had thought to bring with them, but it gave them warmth. It gave them light. It gave them hope.

The attack came an hour before dawn. It was wild and frenzied, pushing into the camp immediately with its ferocity. The attackers were filled with zeal and a near berserker rage, swinging their weapons wildly at anything that moved. People just waking up panicked, fleeing from the attackers. Dio's shouts from his megaphone echoed throughout the camp, crying for people to stay in the camp and defend themselves.

Barret stayed in the center of the camp, protecting what people he could. He kept his daughter between him and the bonfire, away from the enemies, making them come to him. The albinos flooded throughout the camp, both men and women. The women were the same as the one Barret had encountered before. Short and thin, skin and hair all white, wearing gray cloaks and wielding longswords. The men were even shorter than the women, but were nearly as bulky as Dio. They wielded clubs and axes, and several of them were frothing at the mouth.

Barret held his ground and waited for the enemy to come to him. He wasn't used to close combat, but years of working in the Corel mines, and years of training as a member of Avalanche had kept him in more than peek condition. He swung his hammer with awesome strength and precision, crushing all the enemies that came into his path. Those that did always flinched before him just before the killing blow, always hesitating at they came near. Not even their zeal would stand before him.

Gun fire filled the night as several of Dio's men began to use what weapons they had to drive back the attackers, but Barret knew it would not be enough.

In moments, Dio was beside him, swinging his broadsword into the enemy ranks, hacking a path through them. The two fought as a perfect unit, like they had been side by side all their lives. It seemed natural to fight this way, with hammer in hand, Dio at his side. But they were hopelessly outnumbered, and the threat of being overwhelmed loomed ever over their heads.

And then Red XIII was there, lashing at the albinos with claws and teeth, howling a battlecry even as he tore single-mindedly into the enemies, scattering them with his appearance.

"Face me!" the feline cried, nearly bordering on a frenzy so much like the enemy's.

But none of the albinos would. They always retreated from him, always ran, fleeing in terror when they saw the guardian of Cosmo Canyon. And Barret quickly realized why. The flinching, the hesitation, and now the outright fleeing. Always when... He looked to Red XIII, most notably at his tail, which was glowing with an unearthly flame at its tip. Whirling about, Barret looked at the bonfire, and yelled to Dio, "The fire! They don't like the light!"

Barret whirled his hammer about once, then flung it into the face of the next wave of attackers. Turning, he dove towards the bonfire, and with his metal arm, reached into the flames and pulled out a firebrand. Swinging it around, he ran towards any of the albinos he could find, swinging his newfound weapon with ferocity, sending the enemies into an absolute panic. Just as they had with Red XIII, they fled now before Barret, too frightened to face this new challenge.

And even as the last remaining albinos turned to flee, completely disengaging themselves from their attack, a burning light filled the sky. Everyone looked up to witness it, a burning star falling from the sky, streaking towards the camp, seeking out the battle.

It flew in the midst of the battle, a glowing creature so peaceful in its movements, so graceful and cool and cunning. On angel's wings it swooped about, swinging a sword whose blade was easily nine feet in length. A normal man would never be able to wield such a blade, but this creature, swung it about with ease. Not from any real skill, but more from the advantage of being able to fly and being able to bring the awesome weapon to bare from a distance. Anything that stood in the blade's path fell, enemies crumpling under the weight of awesome wounds that did not bleed.

Where the albinos had shown a berserker zeal, single-mindedly seeking destruction, this creature of light showed a calm, detatched way of fighting, so distanced from what it did, as if horribly used to wreaking destruction. And yet, despite the obvious efficiency that it dispatched its enemies, who fled from the burning light only to be struck down, there was something about it that said that this ... angel was only slightly familiar with the sword, as if it weren't the weapon of its choice.

Barret took this all in while in a daze. Then, shaking it off, he roared his defiance at the enemy. He could hear Red XIII and Dio do the same, then a few more called, and then others, until everyone in the camp was shouting. Charging at the enemy with the firebrand, Barret began to fight with renewed strength. And so did everyone else in the camp.

In moments, the tide of the battle was turned. The people in the camp had numbered only approximately four hundred, and the enemy almost twice that. But with the new surge of moral, it seemed as if the refuges were an army of thousands, overwhelming their attackers. The albinos fell before the slaughter, trying desperately to escape, but only finding a quick death.

In minutes it was over. The sun peered over the horizon as the last albino fell, all of them killed to the man. And then, with battle's end, the angel, their saviour, rose up above the camp, as if readying itself to fly away, and then fell.

Everyone in the camp stopped what they were doing and rushed to the fallen hero, Barret and Dio pushing through to the forefront. The two stooped to the angel's side, and watched as its glow faded, and a man was revealed. But not the man they expected. Leathery wings were in place of feathered ones, and instead of silvery hair was black. A flawed body riddled with scars stood in place of a perfect physique, and the saviour's left hand was a metal claw.

Barret felt a tear slide down one of his cheeks as he reached down and grasped his friend, holding him tightly to his chest, glad that he was alive.

Author's Note:

Blah. I've felt like absolute crap for the past two weeks running. Between work, this blasted flu that just won't go away, and various work-related injuries, I just haven't been able to write. Thank goodness Nisus wrote that Cait Sith chapter for me. Being able to post two chapters at once felt kind of nice.

Oh, and you are such a sucker. I can't believe you fell for the Sephiroth trap. Do you really think I'd be that obvious? :P


	23. Second Warning

Author's Note:

Still don't own FF.

Chapter Twenty Three

Second Warning

Rufus dreamed.

A field of green stretched out around Rufus in all directions. Spotted all about the verdant grasslands were bright flowers in a multitude of colours, swaying every so slightly in the peaceful breeze that lazily touched on everything in its path. Closing his eyes, Rufus allowed his mind to feel the grass, to feel the flowers, and to feel the breeze. A soft smile touched his lips.

This all felt right. Not just right. Perfect. It felt like this was the way things were supposed to be. The way things were meant to be.

"This isn't you."

Rufus tried to ignore the voice. It was always there, taunting him, prodding at him with comments meant to discourage or insult or bring him down. Always it sought to defeat him, make him into something else, something lesser than he was.

"You're not like this, Rufus. It's the Cetra blood in you. It's affecting your thinking, changing you. You have to realize this! Snap out of it!"

Despite the peace he felt, his fists clenched. Always the voice tried to tell him what he was, what he was supposed to be. Always with messages of conformity, and accusations against the long dead Cetra, the race that he had unwittingly joined by using a Cetra's DNA instead of Jenova's during the Mako enhancement process.

"You are not an Ancient! You are better than them!"

Rufus' eyes snapped open, and he whirled to face the owned of the voice, screaming his defiance in an unintelligible shout. Rage filled him, giving him strength, the strength he needed to face the one who always tried to convince him that he was something he didn't want to be.

Tobias Shinra, former President of Shinra Incorporate, also known as Rufus' deceased father stood before the young man, a cigar clenched between his fingers, and smoke wafting about his head in a small ring. The man was shorter than Rufus, and more than a little overweight. A look of contempt was on his face as he lifted his cigar to his lips and took a drag. When he was finished, he said in a condescending tone, "So, I see that you've decided to grace me with a response. I expected something a little more eloquent, son."

"I don't have to listen to you. You are dead."

"Yes, I am dead, aren't I? But I know your dirty little secret, Rufus. Only something that I and one other could possibly know. And the other is now dead as well. How... convenient."

A growl erupted from Rufus' mouth. This taunting had gone on for long enough. "I am not like you, Father. I am something more than you could ever be. I have a purpose. And it's not just a silly company. That was your dream. Get money, get power."

"A good dream. One you should consider following."

"No, Father. Something I should never consider following. Because unlike you, I realized that the acquisition of wealth and power are only a means to an end. The application of it is the important part. And while you would consolidate your company, _I_ will make an Empire!"

Tobias smirked. "Yes, Son, you will make an Empire. Built on blood, and murder, and Mako. You will kill the Planet in order to make your so-called Empire, the Empire where man and nature live in harmony. A Cetra concept, a Cetra dream. But you are not a Cetra. You are my son."

"Not by choice."

"Yes, by choice, Rufus! You have chosen your path. You seek to become something because you're being influenced by an alien taint. But your actions in the past, and your methods of the present show you for what you are. My son."

Rufus howled in rage. "No! I am nothing like you! I always hated you, Father! Always! I promised to never become you!"

"Instead you became worse than me. 'I will rule through fear.' Do you remember those words, Rufus? They were yours. You made yourself hate me when you were a child. You made yourself despise me. And grew cold, and empty, all so that one day you could overthrow me. But when I was murdered, you became worse than anything I ever could be. Ironic, isn't it, boy?"

"Shut up! I am... I'm trying to change. I..."

"You are weak. You always have been. You are a disgrace to me, Son. You seek to be the Planet's protector. And yet you are the same person that fought so _valiantly_ against the Weapons, the Planet's _real_ protectors. And why? Because one almost killed you? Defeated you? You know nothing of defeat, boy. Nothing at all."

"What are you talking about?"

Tobias took another puff on his cigar, as if considering, then tossed it aside. He began to walk away, but gestured after him. "Follow me, boy. I will show you what awaits."

Rufus followed, and a bright white light flashed. He took a deep breath, stepped...

---

... and found himself standing on a black platform in sunlight, overlooking a great plaza filled with people. All below him were masses of people, so many people. And they were all calling his name in exultation. Beside him stood Reeve, and to the other side, his father. The portal was gone, as were the grasslands. This was somewhere new... a place he recognized from the last dream.

Buildings were all around him, made of crystal and ivory. It was a small city, and parts of it were in ruins. This was to be his. This was his destiny.

Once more, he looked down and saw himself being held aloft not by a black platform as he originally thought, but instead by a great, dark hand. His eyes traveled upwards, and once more it was the shape of Obsidian Weapon holding him up.

"Look," his father said, gesturing to the crowd below.

Rufus looked down, smiling down on his people. This was as it should be. The people of the world worshipping him while he stood on high. He would be their leader, their saviour, their everything. He looked down to his subjects, and frowned.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the colour began to drain from the people below. They cheered and worshipped, but some stopped as they were totally leeched of colour, left completely made up of white and grey, as if they were some sort of albino.

And then Obsidian's hand was gone, and Rufus was among the people. Everyone clustered around him, grasping, touching, trying to make sure that he was real, that he would save them. And everywhere, colour disappeared. Rufus panicked, and called for help. Reeve was instantly by his side, carrying him away from the throng of people, to an escape, to somewhere else, anywhere else...

Blades glinted from the hands of the people now. Those completely drained of colour slashed at him, but narrowly missed. He ran, Reeve by his side, who was half carrying him. It looked as if they were ahead of the albinos, pushing through the crowd of people who still held a pigment. Rufus felt safe, felt as if he had escaped, when suddenly, a blade sunk into his back. He arched, pain lacing through him, seeking to cripple him. He whirled about, nearly falling. Reeve held him, making sure he didn't hit the ground. Rufus looked about, and saw no nearby albino that could possibly have stabbed him.

He suddenly felt sleepy, and realized it was from blood loss. He had to... had to... he wasn't sure what he had to do. But he knew it was important. He just had to close his eyes first...

"This, Son, is how it will end if you seek to be a true Cetra. If you seek to survive, then you will fight not like an Ancient, but like a _Shinra!_"

---

He opened his eyes, jerking violently and standing up from the chair he had been sitting on, looked about frantically. He was in the Shinra medical center, standing next to the resting Reeve who was about to go through a series of massive Cure spells in order to fix the broken limbs. Materia as powerful as the type that would be used to heal Reeve was rare and expensive, and the people adept at handling it even more rare, their fees astronomical. But it was worth it.

He owed Reeve that much. He sat back down, sighing, and buried his face in his hands. He had been so sure of himself! And now that dream... that same dream, only different. Was everyone against him?

Growling in frustration, he gave a start when he heard Reeve groan. He looked over to his ... friend and saw the man stirring awake, the painkillers slowly wearing off.

"Uh... where am I?" he asked weakly.

"The Shinra medical facility. You were badly injured by a Cait Sith unit that computer logs say you attempted to activate."

Reeve groaned again, then said, "After you told me... what you did... I was angry. I don't know why I did it, I just did. I thought the implant was fixed, but I guess it wasn't. The damned cat had its mog attempt me while it ran away."

"The Turks are after it now with orders to dispatch it on sight. It shouldn't be long before it's dead."

Reeve nodded, or at least, as much as he could with every part of his body either strapped down or held suspended in the air with a cast or brace on. He looked as if he were about to say something, but was interrupted by a guard entering the room.

"What is it?" Rufus demanded irritably.

"Sir," the guard said. "Yuffie Kisaragi has returned."

"Did she bring anyone with her?" Rufus asked intently.

"Yes, sir," the guard answered. "Two women. Aeris Gainsborough and Shera Cole."

Reeve made a noise akin to surprise, and Rufus sat back down in his chair, a cold grin spreading across his face. The first two parts of his plan were now settling into place. But, what to do with his plan? Be a champion, or a Shinra?

Author's Note:

I've said it before, I'll say it again. My favorite chapters to write are always the ones with Rufus. Especially now that I'm trying to force some good onto him and his subconcious is revolting.


	24. The Snake Pit

Reeve: What are you doing?

Reno: Building a time machine.

Reeve: Okay, instead of asking how or when you get the knowledge to manipulate physics to your heart's desire, I'm going to ask why you're decided to risk the sake of the universe by affect causality as you are?

Reno: Huh?

Reeve smacks forehead

Reeve: Why are you trying to kill us all by playing with time?

Reno: Oh, that. That's easy. I'm going back in time to stop myself from smoking my last cigarette so I can smoke it now. This way, I have an infinite supply of cigarettes by forever resmoking the last one.

Reeve: ... Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters. But I'm putting in a bid myself to buy the character of Reno.

Reno: Cool. Why?

Reeve: So I can make it illegal for people to write me alongside you.

Chapter Twenty Four

The Snake Pit

As she walked down the halls of the Junon Shinra office, Aeris tried not to think about her last experience as a prisoner of Shinra. Instead, she chose to remember her time with Cloud, focusing on the happy pieces of their being together and not the separation. She looked over to Shera, and wondered how that woman had the strength to be here with her. Why had she come? She hadn't explained, merely agreed. And Aeris had decided not to ask, respecting the other woman's decision.

Whatever Shera's reason for deciding to come, Aeris was glad for it. She did not want to be alone in a place like this, no matter Rufus' assurances. She had little reason to trust him. The only reason why she had come was knowing that Reeve would be protecting her, and while he hadn't proven himself completely reliable in the past, she knew that he was a decent man, if not a good one.

No, Aeris Gainsborough did not want to be here. But the Planet had spoken to Cloud, and it had told him to make an alliance with Shinra. And if this was needed for an alliance with Shinra...

She shuddered, feeling cold, thinking all the while. Why had the Planet chosen to speak to Cloud? Why to him, and not her? She was a Cetra, after all. She was born with the ability to speak to the Planet born into her. Even Rufus seemed like a more reasonable choice than Cloud. He wasn't pure Cetra, but it was in his blood. So, why the young man from Nibelheim? As much as she liked him, maybe even loved him, it just seemed wrong. He was, despite his victory against it, tainted by Jenova, the very anathema to the Planet. So why him?

She finally concluded that it was because he was the Planet's Champion. Sword in hand, he had fought off evil corporations, enemies from the sky, mutated monsters, Meteors and a mind-controlled angel. Why not Cloud? He was always at the forefront of the fight, always in the lead. Despise his insecurities and weaknesses, he was the strongest of them all.

The guard who was escorting her stopped, and she nearly bumped into him, lost in her thoughts as she was. There was a man in a similar uniform, decorated with more medals on his shirt than the one who had escorted her though, and he nodded his head to the guard to open the door he was standing by. The undecorated officer opened the door and went inside, while the other stayed behind.

"Excuse me?" Aeris asked.

"What?" the man answered rudely.

"Is Rufus in there?"

"Yeah. This is the med-lab. Not many get to see him these days. You must be someone important. Hey, wait. I recognize you. Aren't you that Ancient? Yeah, I recognize you. I used to fly the Turk helicopter, and I was there when Tseng captured you. Heard you died."

Aeris smiled, then nodded. "I did."

She couldn't see the man's face, obscured by his mask as it was, but she knew his jaw was probably hanging open. The door opened, and the guard who had escorted them in came back out. "The President will see you now."

Not waiting on the guard, Aeris slipping into the med-lab, followed by Shera. The woman who accompanied Aeris said, "That was a little cruel."

Letting out a small laugh, she said, "It was just a little fun. And the truth. It's not my fault if he can't handle it."

The humor of the situation quickly dissolved when she found herself face to face with Rufus. The man wasn't much taller than her. He was of a height and build with Cloud, and she was startled by the similarities. And they didn't end just there. The eyes, enhanced with Mako and glowing a soft blue, were startlingly close to Cloud's, and the hair was of a similar hue, but with a hint of orange. But the similarities ended there. Rufus was more handsome than Cloud, less rough, more elegant. And in his eyes there was an unmistakable pride. This was a man who knew who and what he was, and loved himself for it. But it was coupled with something... Fear? Uncertainty? She wasn't sure, but whatever it was seemed to lessen him, take away from his majesty and imperialistic stance.

"Ms. Gainsborough, Ms. Cole," Rufus said, nodding his head in turn to each. She had only met Rufus twice before, and he seemed different. The first time had been directly after his father's death, when Sephiroth had attacked Shinra Incorporated's main branch in Midgar single-handedly and depopulated the building, Tobias Shinra, Rufus' own father, among the slain. Rufus had seemed cold then, but at the same time, satisfied with what had happened. Where a normal man may have mourned, Rufus had seen a chance to grab power. The second time had been during the final confrontation with Jenova. He had seemed angry, and almost distraught then. He had once again taken up his cold persona, and in an amazing display of humanity, had joined forces with Cloud in order to defeat Jenova. And then, at the end of the battle, he had demanded for Cloud to surrender her to him. Aeris had been more than a little confused. Was he still pursuing his vendetta against the Weapons? Did he view her as one, and sought to destroy her? And yet now, in this third encounter, he seemed respectful, almost, but not quite, warm.

This was a different Rufus Shinra. One she wasn't sure of. Was he friend or enemy? The very idea that he could be more than an ally, but a friend, frightened her for some reason. Before, the line had been set. Rufus Shinra was the enemy. Then, he had become an ally in the face of a greater enemy. And now? Now she wasn't sure what he was.

"Mr. President," Shera responded, and Aeris nearly jumped, realizing she hadn't responded to his greeting.

She didn't want to call him by his title. That was too distant, and even if she didn't know him all that well, it didn't seem right to call him 'Mr. President'. But it didn't seem right to call him just 'Rufus' either. She had had a similar struggle the first time she had met Barret, and had settled on calling him 'Mr. Barret' the first time she had spoken to him because she hadn't known his last name. What was Rufus' last name anyway? Shinra? Or was that just a nickname? Smiling, she tipped her head slightly in respect and said, "Mr. Rufus."

She looked up to see he was smiling, not the cold and arrogant smile that usually touched his face when it wasn't completely emotionless, but an actual smile.

"Mr. Rufus?" he said, a hint of amusement in his voice, but he didn't bother to correct her. He continued, "You'll forgive me if I'm blunt. My Vice President, Reeve, suffered a grevious injury just a short while ago, and the healing is scheduled very shortly. As much as I'd like to speak with you and see you settled, I..." he stopped, and a look of confusion covered his face, followed immediately by pain.

He stumbled, and fell to one knee, gasping. Aeris reached out to him, but agony immediately gripped her gut, and she let out a small groan before falling to her knees as well. Her palms smacked the floor, and she gasped. It felt as if something was rotting inside her. She knew this feeling, but had never had it so strongly before.

And then it was gone, just as quickly as it had come. She stood up with Shera's help, and saw Rufus struggling to stand himself. He looked as if he were about to vomit. If he did, she wouldn't blame him. She felt almost as bad.

"What happened?" Shera asked.

"The Planet..." Aeris managed to say, "... so much pain. It tried to tell me, but it... was so caught up in its suffering."

"South, somewhere..." Rufus said. "Somewhere to the south, the Planet is hurt. I have to go. But..." He stopped, turning to look at Reeve who lay on the hospital bed, once more sleeping peacefully.

"We have to," Aeris said firmly. An idea came to her, and she nearly smiled. She just discovered a way to gain Rufus' trust without having to sit in the belly of Shinra or near its labs. "Can we alter the terms of our agreement?"

Rufus turned to look at her, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "In what way?"

"You said that Reeve would be watching me. Until he's healed, I don't think he can, and the important thing you want is to know I'm with you, right? So why don't I go with you to see what's wrong with the Planet? I may be able to help you, and you'll be able to keep an eye on me."

The President of Shinra frowned, as if considering, and then a devillish smile crossed his face. "Very well. You may accompany me. I'll need to get things in order first. See to it that Ms. Cole has the supplies she'll need to work on the Highwind and Gelnika projects--"

"Excuse me," Shera said.

"Yes?" Rufus said, his voice nearly a growl, obviously upset at being interrupted.

"I'm afraid I can't help you on the Gelnika project. I'm barely familiar with the schematics, and was only assigned to that project for three weeks before getting reassigned to the space program to help Cid work on the rocket. I can, however, help with the Highwind. But I have a condition."

"What is it?"

"Re-open the space program, under my supervision. I want to run it. It was Cid's dream, but since he... well, I'm going to continue it for him."

Seeming almost annoyed, Rufus said, "Fine. You'll get the old space program, and the chair on the board of directors leading it. But the Highwind project comes first. Is that understood?"

Shera nodded, and Rufus merely said, "Good. Now, as I was saying. I'll see to it that Ms. Cole has the supplies she'll need to work on the Highwind project, as well as the authority to head up the space program. I'll also need to see about a suitable escort to this problem that we are headed towards, and then we'll be on our way."

Author's Note:

My god, I am so sorry about how long it took to write this chapter. I just hated doing it. I had to force myself to do even so much as a sentence. I don't know why, but I just don't like doing Aeris POVs. I apologize so much.


	25. The Cat Cage

Author's Note:

Reno: So, after almost a month of no updates, we're back!

Reeve: Finally.

Reno: What the hell was up with Tyramir?

Reeve: Change of job, sickness, domestic problems, and writer's block. That, and he hates writing Aeris POVs. Apparently he had to rewrite the last chapter three times before it was presentable.

Reno: Haha, sucks to be him.

Reeve: Yep. And he doesn't even own anything Final Fantasy related.

Chapter Twenty Five

The Cat Cage

Reno finally had Cait Sith in the cage, and he was now sitting idly, one leg up on a desk, wondering what to do. The Turk response was obvious. The Turk way of doing things would be to take the doll to Rufus right away and pick up the paycheck, no questions asked. Forget curiousity, forget the bullshit, forget about everything but the money. That was what Tseng had always said. But Tseng was dead. Rude would have just shrugged and taken Cait in, too, but he had left the Turks. So now it was just Reno and Elena, and Reno ran this operation. And quite frankly, he didn't give a damn what Elena thought.

"So, do you want to tell me just what the hell is going on around here?"

The cat eyed him suspiciously, and something in Reno's head clicked. _I'll be fucked. He's looking for a motive. He didn't expect this from me. He's intelligent. _

"Close the door," the Cat said, and Reno gestured to Elena. The door shut a moment later, taking away what the emercency lights had lent them. The room was dark, but he could see well enough. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his pack of smokes and liter, produced one, and lit it up. He took a drag, and put the smokes and liter away.

"Awright," Reno said, putting on his 'game face', the one he used for interrogation. Turk trick Tseng had taught him. Act all civilized and badass at the same time, makes people worry. Too bad Rude wasn't here. The way that man could just stand there and not even look at you and make you nervous... he was a great fixture in an interrogation. All Reno had no was Elena. He took another drag, and continued, "Read your file, Cait. You're supposed to be a doll. Controlled by a person long distance via a microchip implant. Twenty five in your line. It's possible for all to be controlled at once via one implant, but not recommended. Supposedly dangerous. Just ask Reeve. The original design was by Professor Gast, and was followed up by a young and blossoming grease monkey named Tolliver Reeve. After making the first functioning Cait Sith unit, he was noticed by President Tobias Shinra, and promoted to the lab. And oddly enough, he proved himself even further not for his mechanical and electronic genius, but from his ability to keep the books balanced. First science whiz to ever manage that, supposedly. Kept the department on budget, and kept a nice little paper trail saying how it was doing. Reeve got promoted again, and eventually became a Shinra executive. How 'bout that? Notice anything funny in that file, 'Lena?"

Elena sighed, and asked, "Why are you bothering talking to the robot?"

"Pay attention, rookie, because I'm about to show you why _I_ make the big bucks. See, in the file, and schematics of the Cait Sith unit, it says that it's controlled long distance. I took a peek, and I'm no tech head, but I know my fair share of doohickeys and eletronic wing-wongs. So I took a gander at the robot's AI profile, and know what I found?"

The woman grunted, obviously impatient, eager to go on and find out what Reno was patting himself on the back for. "What?"

"The Cait Sith doll doesn't have an AI program." It wasn't Reno who answered it.

The red-haired Turk grinned and pointed at the caged prisoner. "Bingo. So that means something's up. Now, I'm not an idiot like everyone around here seems to think, so I sat back and tried to figure it out. Rogue AI implanted by an enemy of Shinra? Doubt it. Too much effort for something so small. Virus? Nah. Never heard of the virus that could mimick an AI. But there's something obviously going on, but what?

"So then I thought, 'Why did the robot order Reeve to get attacked, but specified only his legs and arms be broken?' I mean, if I were gonna piss off Shinra by attacking on of their execs, I would have just killed him."

Cait Sith groaned. "Are you going to let me tell the story, or are you just going to go on about how smart you are?"

Reno took another puff from his cigarette, his grin spreading even further. "Sure thing, cat. You tell me what's up, and I'll try to see if I can poke any holes in your story. Pay attention, 'Lena. You might learn something."

Elena made a sound of disgust, but she seemed interested now, as if actually curious at to what was going on. Reno caught something like a smile on the cat's face, and something in its eyes... hope? The Turk had never been one to give hope much stock. He had always hoped for a better life, and what did he get? A life as a Turk. Well, it'd been fun, and it did attract the ladies, and the pay was nice, but... He shook his head, and said, "Hey, cat, you gonna tell us or what?"

"I'm Reeve."

Elena snorted, her interest immediately dissolved, but Reno leaned forward, having somehow, subconciously, expected the answer. "If you're Reeve, then why'd you really get promoted to the Board of Directors? Why did you suddenly become Mr. Fancy Exec instead of Head Lab Boy?"

"I... uh..."

"Spit it out, cat. I already know. Shit, I'm a Turk. I knew all of your dirty secrets. You think we get paid just to whack people? Who do you think told President Shinra?"

The cat gulped. "The records for the Science Department were balanced, and it said we were perfectly on budget. But we weren't. We had more than used up what money was alotted to us. So, I... uh... hacked the Shinra database and kind of made up a new sub-department to give money to, and put the Science Department's debt into it."

Content with the answer, Reno was almost willing to let Reeve go. But instead, he said with a vicious grin, "And how'd you manage that?"

"I broke into the Turk security database and went looking for videos of the executives entering in their own passwords so I'd have the ability to use their logins."

Elena choked at that. The Turk security database was supposed to be infallible, unbreakable, and most weren't even supposed to know it existed.

"Which brought the Turks straight to you once we found out our security had been breeched. You know what I wanted to do when I found out someone had cracked _my_ network?"

"That was yours?" Cait Sith asked, surprised. "It was really good, but I--"

"Yeah yeah, I know how you broke in. Tseng's password. Fruity bastard was always unoriginal. I mean, 'home'? Come _on_. But that's besides the point. When I told the President, he was impressed. Fucking _impressed_. Didn't say, 'Sure, Reno, you can sodomize him with your 'mag-rod' like I suggested. So, my curiousity is fulfilled. Now, what to do with you?"

"We need to turn him over to Rufus," Elena stated firmly.

"Yeah yeah... I got that already, rookie. You just want your paycheck."

"No, I mean... we have to tell Rufus that this is really Reeve. But wait." She turned to the cat, a questioning look in her eye. "If you're Reeve, then who's ... well, Reeve? And how did you get like this?"

Cait Sith sighed, and answered, "I went down into the basement to revive the Cait Sith units. It was something for me to do after Rufus told me the truth about my past. That, and I guess it was a way to confront what I'd forgotten. So I tinkered with the diagnostic machine, the central computer, and got it running. It did a check on the implant, and started doing a diagnostic followed by a self-repair procedure. Joke was on me, though. Turns out it was sending a program to act as a modem. So I got shunted off into my body, while the jackass who set up the modem protocol got put into my body."

Reno took another drag on his cigarette. "And who might that have been?"

"Hojo."

Reno choked on the smoke, letting out a large, disgusting cough that nearly turned into vomiting. "Hojo? That psycho is on the loose? You're kidding, right?"

"No. That's why we need to get to Rufus right away and warn--"

Cait Sith was interrupted as Elena picked up his cage and started marching him towards the door. Reno, surprised at this sudden action, nearly fell off the chair he was sitting on trying to stand up and catch up with them.

The two Turks, with Cait Sith in tow, made their way through the Shinra office, heading towards the medical lab, intent on reaching Rufus before Reeve, or Hojo, was healed and put into a position to start to hurt the company, or Rufus. It was difficult to find their way around, though, because both were still unused to the Junon office, and more, because the power was still off, shut down earlier by Cait Sith.

After an hour of nearly blind searching, the trio found a hallway with the lights on, a section powered by another generator. Racing to the light, Reno nearly tackled the first Shinra guard he saw and demanded, "Is Rufus still in the medical lab?"

"I'm, uh... unsure, sir. I think so, but there's been some activity down at the helipad."

"Gotcha, medlab. Thanks."

It took a minute to reach the medlab, and when they did, both Elena and Reno were panting from the exertion of having ran the whole way. Reno opened the door, and winced as it slammed against the wall. Rufus was gonna bitch about that.

"Mr. President!" he yelled, "I have something to ... tell ... you..."It died on his lips before he could finish.

Reeve, pulling on his shirt, standing with a circle of doctors hovering around him, frowned at Reno, that condescending look in his eyes. Reno wanted to punch the mad scientist right in the mouth. It was definitely Hojo, alright. No one else could have that superior look.

"What is it, my dear Turk?" Hojo asked.

"Uh, we, uh..."

Hojo glanced over at Elena, and saw the cage in her hands. "Ah, you captured the robot. Perfect. Guards, if you will?"

The two guards at the door, as well as two on the opposite end of the room, weapons in hand, all moved forward. Reno's first reaction was to fight, but realized he'd probably get the cat and Elena killed if he did. No, this required smarts. _Come on, smarts, plan. Quickly._

Reno grabbed the cage from Elena, and the cat yelled, "Hey! Watch it!"

Striding up to Hojo, he lifted the cage to his face. "This is a prisoner under Turk custody. We're supposed to deliver him to Rufus."

"I'm sorry," Hojo said in that tone that just screamed arrogant asshole, "but the President just left. He oversaw my healing, and then departed straight away. Something about a 'problem with the Planet', didn't get specific. He left me in charge."

Reno nearly gulped, but managed to control himself enough not to. _Well... shit._

"I believe," Hojo continued, "that Turk policy states that if you cannot deliver your prisoner to the President, you have to deliver it to the Vice President instead."

"Normally, yes, sir," Elena said, stepping forward. "But under Article Three, Section Two, Paragraph Three, it states that 'All specialty bounties are delivered to the President only. In the event of only the President's death is the prisoner to be relinquished to any of lesser authority.' Rufus placed a specialty bounty on this robot's head, so by the rules, we have him until Rufus either returns or is pronounced dead."

Nodding, Hojo clasped his hands behind his back and turned away. "I understand. Do with him what you will. Rufus said that he was going 'south.' If you hurry, you may... no wait. He took all the helicopters and vehicles with him as an escort. I'm afraid you'd have to go afoot to catch up with him."

"We'll wait for him," Reno growled.

"Do so. But make sure the cat is locked up and under guard at all times. I have other assignments for the Turks, and as such, you will be very, _very_ busy."

_So, he's trying to keep us from talking to the cat, eh? Well, too late. Or maybe he knows we already did and he's trying to keep us from making any plans with him? Just you wait til Rufus gets back, asshole. You can't play this game forever._


	26. The Path Home

Author's Note:

Reno: Wow, two chapters in the span of twenty four hours, and now Tyramir's working on a third!

Reeve: Amazing!

Reno: Hey, silence you. I just saved your ass in the last chapter, so now you have to do what I tell you.

Reeve: You do know that this is a slightly OOC version of ourselves, right?

Reno: So?

Reeve: So, anything that happens in the story doesn't affect us in the disclaimer.

Reno: You suck.

Reeve: Whatever. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Twenty Six

The Path Home

On the evening of the fifth day since departing Kalm, Tifa finally declared that she and Rude should head back. While the extended picnic turned camping trip had been fun, the weather was beginning to turn foul, rains coming and going, with darker clouds coming over the horizon. Rude had said nothing, just silently nodded and followed after her as she packed their gear into the two backpacks that they had brought with them.

The weather had begun to look dismal and cloudy, blocking out the sun in the area of Fort Condor, which lay just to the north of them. Tifa figured if they hurried, they could get through the area and away from the rain before it completely ruined their adventure. Rude managed not to chuckle at that comment, despite all urges to. Adventure, indeed. This was the woman who had seen her home burn to the ground, humbled the largest corporation on the Planet, fought off alien enemies from the sky, defeated Planetary Weapons, and stared down Sephiroth himself. And she was calling a camping trip an _adventure_?

As soon as he thought it, trotting behind her, trying to keep up, Tifa slowed down slightly, looked back at him, and smiled, as if to say, _Lighten up, have some fun, this _is_ an adventure._

He repressed the frown, wondering just how she always seemed to know what he was thinking. Rude had always thought that his silent attitude coupled with his ability to control what facial expressions showed -- which were none -- gave him a certain air of mystery. 'What is that man thinking?' people would say. But within almost two months, Tifa had figured him out. He supposed he should take that as a compliment, but for some reason, he felt oddly offended. And every time he thought of that particular thing, Tifa would again Turk to look at him, and smiled.

Damn, but he loved that smile. It unnerved him, challenged him, and made him feel whole. He didn't think of himself as a 'good guy' -- hell, he was a _Turk_ -- but for that smile, he'd fight Sephiroth, Jenova, the Weapons, and Shinra all combined.

Reno would never understand. He was too focused on the money, on the reputation of being a Turk. Elena would pretend to, but she wouldn't entirely get it either. Too much into her own ambition, determined to be someone and go somewhere. Tseng would have understood. He liked the money, liked the thrill, liked the reputation and the prestige you got from being a Turk, but everyone damn well knew just from looking at him that if he thought he had a shot, he would have abandoned it all for Aeris.

But no, Tseng was dead, and not here to tell Rude that he had 'done the right thing.'

It was nearing night when Rude finally noticed something wrong. "Where is everyone?"

"What?" Tifa asked., stopping to look back at him.

"Travelers. Merchants. Farmers. Hunters. Anyone. We're near Fort Condor. You'd think we would have seen someone by now."

Shrugging, the girl responded, "Maybe they just wanted to get away from the rain."

Rude didn't buy it. His Turk instincts screamed that something wasn't right. When they had first come out for this picnic, they had seen hikers and travelers. Not many, but they had been there. Now... A thought occured to him.

"What about monsters? Or animals? When was the last time we even saw a chocobo?"

"I can't remember, but that is a bit weird. What do you suggest?"

"Take shelter in Fort Condor. See if they've heard anything."

"That's a good idea," she agreed. "At the very least, it'll get us out of the rain before it starts up."

Glad that she had decided that his plan was a good idea, Rude adjusted their north-bound course to go a little to the east, and within less than an hour, the two found themselves at the base of Fort Condor. Tifa climbed the rocky area ahead of the ex-Turk, familiar with the rocky slopes and bounding up them with ease. Rude, less familiar, struggled, but managed to keep up. Night was just setting in, and Rude was forced to take off his sunglasses so that he could see where he was putting his feet. When he made it to the top, he saw Tifa staring at a pile of rocks at a section of the mountain that the reactor sat upon.

He gave her a questioning look, and she answered, "There's supposed to be a cave here. It leads to a ladder into the reactor. But it's not here. It looks like someone purposely caved it in."

Rude nodded, and began to look it over. He checked around the edges, and found small traces of blackness around the edges of the rocks and where the cave entrance apparently had been. Wiping away some of it with his fingers, he held it to his nose and sniffed. Just as he expected. He held the two fingers covered with the black powder and held it up for Tifa to smell. When she did, she made a disgusted face. "Ugh, smells like rotten eggs. What _is_ that?"

"Residue from a sulfuric discharge. Old gunpowder. Someone rigged a primitive explosive to collapse the cave from the inside."

"Why would they do that?"

He couldn't say for sure, but his Turk and Soldier training came up with one logical answer. "The people inside wanted to keep someone out."

"Who?"

He didn't have an answer. She knew that. Instead, he stepped away from the cave and began to search the ground, looking for any footprints, or signs of anyone having been here recently. The darkness didn't help him. As he searched, he heard Tifa begin to yell to the Fort, demanding that if anyone was there that they answer.

Swearing at the rocky ground and its inability to take footprints, Rude began to search the rocks at the side of the path and found that several small boulders had been dropped from on high. Probably from the Fort itself. Meaning a siege. He checked a few, and found no bodies, only white ash. Several times he bent down to examine it, but found it difficult in the fading light. It had no smell or taste, and no particular texture, or any source of where it may have come from.

"Rude!" Tifa yelled.

Whirling about, he looked to Tifa's location. She was waving frantically at him and pointing off to the northeast. He glanced over, and paled. Charging up the mountain-side was a small attack force of white shapes. They weren't close enough to make out, but Rude knew a hostile threat when he saw one. Racing to Tifa's side, he began bellowing as loudly as he could, yelling far more effectively than Tifa had been.

"Ho, the Fort! Drop a rope! Drop a rope!"

He looked up, and above, someone looked out from a hole chiseled in the rock wall. They had been seen. But would anything be done?

"Help us!" Tifa yelled.

Not waiting for the unlikely to happen, Rude pushed back his shirt sleeve to reveal a metal bracer. On it were two pieces of Materia. Fire and Lightning. He chose to go for Fire, and focusing on it, prepared to slam the front rank of the enemy with as much heat as he could. The Materia glowed bright green, then faded. Nothing happened.

Panic began to climb into Rude, and he tried again. The Materia once more glowed green, and a small flicker of fire appeared, hitting the center of the enemy ranks, then disappearing entirely. Abandoning his attempts with the Fire Materia, Rude moved on to the Lightning, and concentrated. This one flared to life, lashing out from the skies with a brilliant bolt of blue electricty, shattering the front row of enemy invaders.

Tifa continued to yell, and Rude sent wave after wave of lightning at the enemy, but each one was more diminished than the last, as if something was affecting the Materia.

A hundred yards away, the enemy looked dangerously close. Rude began to focus the inner-power his Mako infusion had given him into his fist, charging it up for an attack.

"Rude!" Tifa called.

He looked back, and saw that a rope had been lowered. Tifa was already scrambling up. She knew he'd be close behind. She probably expected him to make for the rope right away. Looking around, the ex-Turk spotted a narrow gap that the enemy, obviously albinos from this distance, would have to travel through the rocky path. If enough force hit it, the valley-like area might collapse on the albinos, killing some and preventing the others from getting any further for a while.

Without another thought, Rude lashed out at the ground with his fist, and the earth began to shift as a small spike of fire and electricity hit the ground and began to travel towards the valley-like walls. The Grand Spark did its intended job. The walls began to shake and instantly collapsed, crushing the invaders that had been between them. As they died, the few that were still visible from the collapse, Rude noted that they turned to ash. For a moment he was taken aback, unsure of what had just happened.

"Rude!" Tifa yelled again.

Shaking himself out of his momentary shock, he turned and headed for the robe and began to climb as quickly as he could to the top. He glanced down a few times and saw that some of the albinos had already made it over the large hill he had made and were beginning to climb up after him. He forced himself to climb faster. Looking up, he saw the rope had been lowered through the hole chiseled in the mountainside he had seen before, a sort of make-shift window for a cave. As he made it to the top, a hand reached out, but he ignored it, instead grabbing the ledge of the window and heaving himself in. He was far too heavy for a normal person to pull him in.

"Cut the rope!" he said as he fell inside.

A _twang_ sounded, followed by a few screams. Rude was too busy to look back and check, though, as his attention was more occupied on the sword-point being held to his throat.


	27. The Elders

Author's Note:

Reno: Holy shit!

Reeve: What?

Reno: We've been upgraded to an 'R' rating!

Reeve: No fucking way.

Reno: Yeah. I have no idea why the fuck that happened.

Reeve: Huh. No shit, eh? What next? Is Tyramir going to start listening to the reviews and fix some of his mistakes?

Reno: Funny you brought that up...

Reeve: Holy shit on a stick. You lie!

Reno: Wait. Not that I'm complaining, but why the fuck are we suddenly swearing like there's no tomorrow?

Reeve: Probably because we can get away with it now, you fuckwad. 'R' rating, remember?

Reno: Oh riiiiight.

Reeve: Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Twenty Seven

The Elders

Once more night approached, only hours away, and still the refugees of Gold Saucer and Corel had not reached the safety of Cosmo Canyon. Despite the promise by Dio that they would, the group was now carrying wounded, and their pace had slowed to a crawl. Everyone now carried weapons of some sort, whether it was some tool from building the bridge before, such as an axe or a hammer, or something more primative, like a plank of discarded wood, or throwing rocks. The journey was grim, and everyone was frightened, but still they pressed on. These people had met the enemy, and while they had panicked at first, now they would hold their ground and fight.

What had once been whispers of an angelic saviour were now preached aloud. They had been chosen, some would yell, chosen to battle and survive and destroy the White Scourge, as the albinos were now being called. Their Angel, for surely he _belonged_ to them, would protect them and guide them and lead them into battle. These were a people who had been cast from their homes, been forced to abandon almost everything they had known, and had desperately clung to the first thing that had presented itself. And this had been their Angel, Vincent Valentine.

People hovered protectively near the covered wagon that was now the centerpiece of the procession of refugees, for the wounded saviour had been placed inside, away from prying eyes and away from the weather and harsh sun, so that he may recover. Vincent lay on a small bed in the wagon, and Barret and Marlene sat at his side, the girl holding a cloth to the ex-Turk's forehead.

Much had changed about Vincent since Barret had seen him last. The most startling was that the leathery wings that now adorned Vincent's back now appeared to be permanent, as opposed to something temporary brought on by the change into Chaos. And more, rather than the frail physique that bespoke of weakness before, Vincent now had more muscle tone. Not enough to make him as big as Barret or Dio, not even enough to put him on a scale with Cloud, but it was still there. He appeared healthier than ever before.

To Vincent's side, lying on the floor, was Masamune, Sephiroth's sword. Where Vincent had retrieved it and why, Barret didn't know. But the thing made him shiver all over whenever he glanced at it. He wanted to take it and throw it to lie on the side of the road, but he knew some blasted 'worshipper' would pick it up and probably praise it as a relic of the Angel.

"Bunch o' godamn idiots," Barret muttered to himself, and nearly jumped when he heard Vincent groan.

He looked over the ex-Turk hurriedly, and saw that the man was beginning to stir. Marlene smiled happily, as if she wanted to see what 'the Angel' was like when awake. She had bought into this miracle trash as much as everyone else, despite Barret's discouragement of it. She was just a kid, though, so she at least had her excuse.

"Marlene," Barret said, "go sit up front."

"But, Papa..." she said, obviously anxious to see Vincent awake.

"Daddy needs to talk to his friend alone for a little while, honey. Dio's driving. Get him to tell you a story. I hear he's got lots of stories to tell."

Marlene looked a little sullen at first, but her eyes brightened at the idea of 'stories', and she made an act of looking dejected as she got up and carefully walked to the front of the wagon and outside the cover where she could sit with Dio.

"Vince, you up?"

"Barret?" came the mumbled answer.

"Yeah, man. You're gonna pull through just fine."

Opening his eyes and sitting up slowly, Vincent looked about. "What happened? Where am I?"

"Shit, you're asking _me_? We were gettin' attacked by those albino freaks, and you came an' kicked all their asses. We'd probably all be dead if not for you."

Nodding, the ex-Turk said, "I remember that. What happened after?"

"You passed out. Just collapsed. We didn't know what was up, and most of the people who claimed to be doctors just wanted an excuse to touch you."

"What?" Vincent said flatly.

"You're an ... no, you're _the_ Angel to them. They all think you're here to save 'em and bring salvation an' all that shit. They think you're some kinda Messiah."

Vincent swore.

"What happened, man? Why'd you collapse like that?"

Vincent took in a deep breath, and his wings unfurled slightly, stretching out. "Exhausted myself. I've been flying all over the Cosmo Canyon area ever since I sensed these enemy invaders come up out of the earth. I've been fighting them off every night, killing what I could, but I just can't seem to be everywhere at once. And to top that all off, there were troubles at Cosmo Canyon itself a few days ago... but I think I solved that. The albines, though... There are more of them. I can... feel them. In two different spots. One somewhere to the north, and somewhere else to the east."

"Forget 'em for a minute. We can talk about them later. What happened to you, man? We all thought you were dead."

Vincent shook his head. "I came close. After the Highwind crashed, I encountered Lucrecia. She wanted my DNA to revive Sephiroth, and I told her no. So she shot me. I managed to throw myself into a pool of the Lifestream, and escape. During my time in there, I went into a coma induced by Mako poisoning. And, like Cloud and Tifa, I underwent a type of revelation. I encountered the four beasts within me, and discovered that one of them was Hojo. It was some sort of fail safe he planted into my DNA when he experimented on me. One day, in the event of his death, it would activate, and I would become Hojo. But because of my encounter with the Lifestream, I managed to fend it off and force Hojo and three of the demons out of my system."

"Huh. That's one helluva story. But that still don't bring us to the present. You said Lucrecia shot you? How'd you survive?"

"By throwing myself into the Lifestream. It somehow healed me. But unfortunately, the bullet stayed in my system, and it was a Mako slug. After the final battle with Lucrecia, I went off by myself to die, since there were no competent surgeons in the area. But at the last minute, I chose to live and tore the bullet out of my chest with my own claw."

Barret's eyebrows raised, and he whistled. "Shit, man. You got a pair on you. Tearing a bullet outta your own gut? Makes me go cold all over just thinkin' 'bout it. What happened then?"

"I tried to heal myself with a Cure Materia, but it didn't work. I was panicking. I thought I was going to die, and I heard a Behemoth off in the distance. After repeated attempts, the Materia still failed to work, and I felt Chaos coming on. So, rather than let the Behemoth kill me, I let Chaos take over."

"So that's how you got away. Red told us he found your shirt and coat and gun and the Behemoth, so we all figured it got you."

Vincent shook his head. "I managed to escape. But I hadn't transformed completely into Chaos. Something went wrong. Either a result of Hojo's attempt to hijack my body, or my first trip into the Lifestream, or something else, I don't know. I was mostly human, save a few small differences. Mostly the wings, the light I can now create from my body, and my ability to sense these albinos and those touched by Jenova. And the Planet... it speaks to me. Or it has, and now it's just more obvious. I'm not sure."

"The Planet speaks to you, huh? Does to Cloud now, too. It told us somethin' fucked up is goin' on, and we'd all need to be there when the shit went down. Spike was holdin' somethin' back, too, but I dunno what. He looked scared, though. Got any idea what that might be?"

Vincent nodded, "I was warned with visions and sensations what would happen. A man, held aloft above a crowd, would come to save us, a crowd of us, while albinos tried to infiltrate us and turn us into them. And something more. A feeling of ... betrayal? I'm not sure. What else did Cloud say about this message?"

Shrugging, he answered, "I dunno. Just that it came to him as Cid an' told him that some shit was goin' down. Cloud didn't get none too clear 'bout the details."

"Wait. The Planet _appeared_ to Cloud in the guise of Cid? That's impossible. It doesn't work that way. It speaks to people with sensations and visions. You have to be mistaken."

"I'm tellin' you, that's what he said. I dunno, after that battle with Jenova, Cloud tried to explain what happened, said somethin' about bein' chosen as the Planet's Champion. Maybe that's what he meant? 'Cause he's so special, he gets to talk to the Planet directly 'stead of all this vision bullshit."

"Perhaps," Vincent said, sounding a little dubious.

"Wait. You still didn't tell me where you got this sword from," Barret said, indicating Masamune. "An' hold on. I jus' realized, you said _first_ trip into the Lifestream. The hell? You been on a second?"

"Yes. It was necessary. I was under the impression that a great threat would come, and we would need this blade to defeat the albinos."

Barret nodded. "People are callin' 'em the White Scourge, now. Wish I had my gun-arm, I'd blast the whole lot of 'em a new one."

"I was about to ask about that."

"Yeah. I left it with Cloud in Kalm. Dumb idea, that. I wanted to go home, show Marlene Corel, rest for a week before this new threat came up. Jus' wanted to know what I was fightin' for, y'know? I mean, I know it's Marlene, but I needed to show her what it was all about, jus' so she'd know why I was fightin'. An' I wanted to do it on peaceful terms, no gun-arms or reminders o' violence or any o' that. What a dumb idea that was."

"I happen to disagree. There have been times when I wish I could throw away all of the violence in my past. I envy your ability to have chosen to do that, however fleeting it lasted. You're a good man, Barret, and despite your sins, you are a hero."

"Aww hell, I dunno about that," the big man said, running a hand along the back of his neck. He was about to protest further when the wagon stopped. "Looks like we're at Cosmo Canyon. Or we better be, anyway."

Shouting abruptly started, as if a large wave of protest had started, and Marlene hopped into the back of the wagon from the seat. "Papa, Mr. Dio says that he needs you and the Angel."

"Why, honey?"

"I don't know. But he said something about the Elders."

Barret shot Vincent a questioning look, as if to say_, Should we?_ Vincent nodded.

"Okay, honey. We're gonna go outside. You stay in here, okay?"

The girl nodded, and sat down on a pile of cushions. Barret reached for his hammer, and Vincent picked up Masamune. Neither knew what was happening, but it was a good idea to be prepared in any case. The two hopped out the back of the wagon, and a path in the crowd of people immediately opened for them. Not so much for Barret and the respect they held for him in his prowess in battle as he would hope, but more so for Vincent, their Angel. Barret was surprised that they weren't swarmed over by people looking for blessings. People further away, those who had not yet seen Vincent, were still clamouring, and above them all, Barret could hear Dio shouting into his microphone for silence, and a growl-like sound coming from near the front of it all, undoubtedly Red XIII. The two walked through the crowd, and people parted as they came. Vincent extended his wings, and people backed away further still. As they walked, a silence touched the crowd, until they reached the front of it and stood alongside Dio and Red XIII, who stood at its head. Dio lowered his microphone, and Red XIII wagged his tail once, and began to yell.

In front of them was the entrance to Cosmo Canyon, now barricaded by a large door that had been damaged recently and fixed, with men manning the top of the platform and along the barricade. All wore tribal-like uniforms depicting a warrior-like status, save for three men who stood directly in the middle of the baricade, looking down on the crowd.

The man in the center of the three was shouting, "We'll say again! Cosmo Canyon is closed to you! Leave now or we will be forced to make you leave!"

"Force us?" Red XIII snarled. "This is my home! My people were here well before yours were, Dorret! I am the Guardian of Cosmo Canyon, not you! In all your wisdom, you have appeared to have forgotten that!"

"And gladly would we allow you entry, Nanaki, save for the fact that you would bring these others with you! We do not have the space--"

"Do not have the space indeed!" Vincent yelled. "I was here days ago, when you had turned away similar refugees! I smashed your precious walls then, I will do so again!"

_So this is what he meant by trouble at Cosmo Canyon a few days ago. These assholes been turning people away?_ Barret thought. _That's just fucked up._

"We do not fear you, Demon!" the man to the right of Dorret snarled.

"I am not a Demon," Vincent said, flapping his wings a few times, lifting himself from the ground and hovering five feet in the air. "Nor am I an Angel. You have no reason to bar these people entry save your own petty desires. Let us through."

_He's changed. A couple months ago, he woulda told us to leave these assholes to their deaths and suggest we go somewhere else. More'n just the wings're different. _

"Fools!" Red XIII cried. "The Elders have been allowed to become fools in Bugenhagen's absence! He would never turn away those in need! And why do you? Because you think we do not have the space? Or the resources? Would you abandon these people to death?"

The man to the left of Dorret seemed ashamed, and the one to the right of him flinched, but Dorret himself seemed unbothered by the accusation. "Call us what you will, Nanaki. They are just words. We cannot support these people, and I will not doom this community by spreading our resources too thin!"

Barret saw Vincent's grip on Masamune tighten, and Red XIII's hackles rise. Things were degenerating rapidly, and someone had to step in. _Funny. Never thought I'd be the damn cool-headed one out o' us._

Grabbing Dio's microphone from the man's hands, Barret raised it to his mouth and began to speak. "We ain't here to steal your water, or your food, or your whatever. We don't wanna cause no one no harm, but we gotta stick together. These albinos, this 'White Scourge', it's here. It's on us. And if we don't stick together, they're gonna kill us! And not just us refugees. They gonna walk in here, and they're gonna bust up Cosmo Canyon, too. And I've seen these things fight. They don't just kill the men. Hell, they don't even just kill the women! They kill children, too, and that's fucked up. I got a daughter out there. She's four years old. You gonna tell my Marlene she can't come in an' be safe? We ain't here to hurt you. We're here for protection, and not just what you can offer us. We're offerin' ourselves, too. We ain't gonna freeload. Hell, most o' us here are from Corel! We're hard workers. Give us a job, we'll do it. We'll do what work needs to be done, fix up your little fort here, hell, we'll _fight_ alongside you! There ain't no free ride on this train we on, and we sure as hell can't get offa it! So, you gonna let us in, or what?"

The man to Dorret's right looked away, the same as the man on the left had been doing through the entire speech. Dorret himself stood there, an arrogant look on his face. "My, what a lovely speech from such an illiterate barbarian. I'm surprised you managed to get that all out. But the fact of the matter still stands. We cannot--"

Dorret was cut off as the man to the left of him raised a fist and struck him in the face. Caught completely unaware, Dorret crumpled to the ground.

"I apologize for my fellow Elder. He hasn't been well recently. Prone to fainting spells, as you can see. I am Elder Juyan! Cosmo Canyon welcomes you. Doesn't it, Elder Frennal?"

"Yes, of course it does!" the man to the right agreed. "Uh... come on in! Soon as we... uh... get the gate open!"


	28. Third Location

Author's Note:

Still don't own Final Fantasy, despite my attempts to gain ownership of it by challenging Square Enix to a Quake Deathmatch for it.

Chapter Twenty Eight

Third Location

After Aeris left, Cloud had fallen into a wave of depression. Now he was forced to wait alone in Kalm for the rest of Avalanche to return, while Aeris was in the hands of Shinra. He wasn't sure of her safety, he at one particular instance, while dwelling on his failure to protect her again as her bodyguard, he managed to put a fist through one of the inn room's walls.

After paying for the damage, Cloud sat on his bed, staring at the fist-shaped hole in the wall, musing to himself. It was night outside and once it hit morning, there would be one day left for Avalanche to return. One day left to wait alone, with only his thoughts and his melancholy.

_I never told her. Even though the Planet told me to, I never got to tell her how I really feel about her._

"Buck up, kiddo," a voice behind him said. "Things could be worse. It's not like she's dead or anything. Again."

Cloud didn't need to turn around to know who the speaker was, but he did anyway, adjusting himself on the bed to take in the sight of Cid, a cigarette hanging from one of his lips, a steady trail of smoke emanating from it. But the smell of smoke wasn't there, nor the urge to cough Cloud usually had in the presence of it.

"What do you want?" Cloud asked abruptly, putting more anger into it than he meant to.

"Chill, kid. Keep cool. I'm here to tell ya--"

Standing up, Cloud cut him off. "You're always here to tell me something. Always. But never anything useful. 'You're the Champion of the Planet,' 'There's a new threat', 'Some of your friends may die.' Never specifics, never certainties. Never anything useful."

"Hey, hey, don't get gettin' all mad at me 'cause I don't feel like comin' down to socialize with you. I only talk to you when I can. Y'think it's easy manifestin' myself like this? I only do it for a select few, ya pinhead! Yeesh. You gonna listen to what I have to tell ya?"

"Fine."

"'Fine.' That's it? Godamn numbskull. Don't even know when to appreciate what you're gettin'. Now listen, I know what's goin' on. Or something of it, anyway. There's an invading force, and it's poppin' up all over the Planet. Three major locations are all gettin' hit at once by these invaders. They got some sorta plan, but I have no idea what it is. Can't be good, though."

"Who are these invaders? What do they want?"

"Now that, I do know. They're the descendants of survivors. Ancients. Sort of, anyway. They're the Ancients they got infected by Jenova and got beat back during the last big war against her. The Cetra drove 'em all underground, then closed up the caves behind 'em. They call themselves the Tali Hishna, or in the ol' Cetra language, 'True Children.' They've been down there for a long time, so their bodies have adapted over time. Short, muscular, no colour to 'em. Don't like the light much. They're scared of it, and it hurts their eyes."

"If they were underground, how did they survive all this time?"

"They're Ancients, ya pinhead! Although, since Jenova infected 'em, they ain't what they nearly used to be. Some of 'em still have powers, but most of 'em don't. They been usin' the Lifestream down there to make things, like food. They were happy to just be down there mindin' there own, business, too, til they heard Jenova call."

"From North Crater?"

"Nah... none of 'em were in that part of the world, so they didn't hear it. That, and she was so damn sure she was gonna win, she didn't call for the big guns, just whatever monsters were close. Nah, she called 'em during your battle in Midgar, when she was sure she needed all the help she could get. So now they're here, and they mean business, boy."

"Where are they? What can I do to stop them?"

The figure that looked like Cid shook his head. "You're awfully quick to do somethin'. I'd tell you to wait for your friends, but they're already buried hip deep in shit. Luckily, too. They're already coverin' two o' the three locations. Barret and Red are coverin' Cosmo Canyon, but that's just a diversion. Their real target is Gongaga."

"Are they all right?" Cloud asked.

"S'far as I can tell, they're holed up in Cosmo Canyon, all safe. It's Tifa and Rude y'need to be worried about. They're in Fort Condor, and that's the second spot you have to worry about."

Turning about, Cloud crossed the room, and reached for Ultima Weapon, which had been leaning against the wall.

"Don't rush so fast, kiddo. They can handle themselves, but prob'ly not for too long. You need to go to the third spot."

Grabbing the sword and placing it in the large sheathe on his back, he asked, "Where's that?"

"Yeesh, you really are a numbskull. What do Gongaga and Fort Condor have in common?"

"Mako Reactors," Cloud said. "But the third spot could be anywhere if that's the common link. Corel, Junon, or..." He trailed off, realizing where an ideal spot would be to go in order to reach a Mako reactor.

"Now you're thinkin'. They're in Midgar, alright. You just gotta get your spiky ass down there and stop 'em before it's too late."

Cloud was about to ask, _Too late for what?_, but when he turned to face the apparition, it was gone, as usual. He wanted to hit something. In fact, he did. The hole he had put in the wall suddenly had a friend to keep it company.

Author's Note:

Not my longest or best chapter, but it's setting things in motion for Cloud. I'm gonna flip a coin for what POV to do next, but it'll probably either be Reno or Rufus.


	29. Tobias Shinra

Author's Note:

Reno: Aww yeah, back to me.

Reeve: Pardon?

Reno: This POV is all me, baby.

Reeve: No it's not, actually.

Reno: ... Say what?

Reeve: Tyramir flipped a coin to decide whose POV it was. You lost.

Reno: Son of a bitch! Rufus is getting priority over _me_?

Reeve: No, the coin is. Lady Luck doesn't favor you this day.

Reno: But... but... the ladies always love me. Especially Lady Luck.

Reeve: Today she's pawing all over Rufus.

Reno: That whore.

Reeve: Indeed. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Twenty Nine

Tobias Shinra

Rufus looked out the window of his armoured SUV, and smiled. When he had promised Aeris an escort to go along with them to the 'problem with the Planet', she had expected a few soldiers, ten at most, to accompany them. Rufus had shown her that a Shinra never did anything small. Fifty armoured cars, along with seven Shinra tanks, brand new off the line, and five helicopters, all filled with armed guards, accompanied them. It was a small army, and if it had been possible to bring more, Rufus would have. Unfortunately, Shinra was still rebuilding, still regaining it's former glory. And worse, when he had done a personaly inventory of their weapons and count of their tanks and other vehicles, he had found that many of them had been stolen in the wake of Shinra's collapse from Soldiers deserting their posts. He had made a note to find any and all deserters and deal with them.

Beside him in the back of the SUV was Aeris, a Shinra soldier driving up front. She sat with her hands in her lap, staring out a window, looking at the fields of green outside. She seemed more interesting in watching nature than in speaking to him. He found it oddly insulting, but then, he supposed it was probably due to her Cetra heritage.

Awkwardly, he tried to start a conversation with her. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

She nearly jumped, her head turning to him, and asked, as if confused, "What is?"

"The view. The grasslands. Nature."

Her eyes narrowed, and a small frown marred her face. "Do you really think so?"

The reaction bothered him, but he nodded. "Yes. It really is beautiful out there."

"Funny you should say that. You, Rufus Shinra, are a hypocrite."

A hypocrite? A _hypocrite_? He had been called many things in his day. A monster. A murderer. A cold-blooded psychopath. A power-hungy, greedy bastard, born of a money-grubbing, glorified speech writer. He had always shrugged off the other insults, but he found anger rising in him at this one. What had he ever done to be a hypocrite?

Aeris continued, not a mean note in her voice, staying calm, as if explaining something to a child. "You came into Cetra heritage entirely by accident. From the reports you've already given me on your company..." she gestured to a file that sat between them, "... it seems that you just wanted to see if using Cetra DNA in the Soldier process would enhance you any more. Give you more power. You're the head of the largest power company, no, the largest corporate entity on the Planet. You rape and pillage the land as you see fit. You search for the Promised Land like a Cetra would, but you would use it for your own ends, turn it into a place where you can suck all the Mako out of the land. You pretend to be a hero, a protector of the Planet, when you tried to destroy the Weapons, even going so far as to declare war on Obsidian Weapon, who I might add was _me_, and yet, here you are, sitting in a car, talking to me about _how lovely the countryside is._"

If it had been anyone else who had just delivered that little speech, he would have struck them. His anger built up, but he didn't act on it. He said, "Well, it is." And then he laughed, throwing his head back and letting it all come out.

Aeris flinched away, as if she had indeed been struck, completely taken by surprise by his reaction. When he stopped, he smiled bemusedly at her, and said, "I apologize. I admit, I am the head of a power hungry, life destroying organization. Shinra's power is based on the suffering of people, and the Planet. But that will change. I am not my father. Or, I'm not anymore. I've changed. Not enough yet, and that scares me. Because a part of me doesn't want to change. It thinks that the man I'm becoming is weak, and a naive fool. But I think with the proper influence, I can ... overcome it."

"And you want --" Aeris began, but Rufus cut her off.

"Did you know that my father was insane?"

"Well," she said, flustered at this new, unexpected remark, "I guess... He was a very bad person. He destroyed Sector Seven just to destroy Avalanche and--"

"No, that's not what I meant. That was the mark of a keen strategist. A messy one, but one that eliminated his rivals. Not very moral, but to him, it was the perfect way to swat the fly, if you will."

"Excuse me?"

Rufus sighed. That hadn't come out right at all. Now he really did sound like his father. He continued anyway. "Let's say you have a fly in your house. And it's very annoying. It buzzes, it lands on you, it flies about, it even bites sometimes. So you try to swat it, and you can't seem to connect. Frustrated, you buy a can of bug spray to try to kill it, only to discover it's one of those Mako-mutated flies. Bug spray won't kill it. In fact, it seems to thrive on it. So, eventually, you go even further and decide to buy a bug zapper. You set it up, and you notice right away that is had results. Lady bugs fly into it and die, moths fly into it and die. Bees come close to it and die. But the important thing is, the fly decides to investigate it, flies into it, and promptly dies. Was that the right thing?"

Aeris shrugged, and responded, "I wouldn't know. I don't kill flies."

Rufus smiled ruefully. He might've known. Especially with that staff of hers that they had strapped to the roof of the SUV. Not a killing weapon, just one to defend herself with. "What I'm getting at is, my father was a brilliant strategist. Cold, yes, but brilliant. But despite all that, he was insane. For a present for my tenth birthday, he bought me a Black Stalker. A Mako-mutated puma. It was untrained, and he presented it to me in a cage. And then, when I got used to the idea of a Black Stalker in a cage not twenty feet away from me and started opening other presents, he opened the cage door." His jaw clenched, and he felt his fists tightening. He didn't know why he was bringing this up, but he knew where he was leading it to. That accursed dream.

_"I don't have to listen to you. You are dead."_

_"Yes, I am dead, aren't I? But I know your dirty little secret, Rufus. Only something that I and one other could possibly know. And the other is now dead as well. How... convenient."_

"What happened?" Aeris asked.

"The guards were on orders not to do anything unless the Black Stalker attacked them or my father. This was to be a test for me. If I survived, I would be worthy enough to become my father's heir. If not, then I would die. I'm not the only child to be borne of Tobias Shinra. I had three sisters and a brother. All of them but one older than me, all of them... dead. They didn't pass my father's tests.

"I was only a child, but I knew immediately that the Black Stalker would kill me if I didn't subdue it somehow. So, I ran and hid behind one of the guards on the far side of the room, away from my father. The guard tried to defend himself, but died. I ran to the other side of the room, and the Stalker followed. Dodging under and over furniture, I was able to evade it until I made it back to the guard's dead body. I took the man's stun baton and managed to strike the Stalker in the face with it. That left it dazed, so I could get around it and hit it again in the base of the skull. It knocked the creature out cold.

"I remember my father clapping afterwards, congratulating me and calling me a man." Rufus' voice sounded dead, and he wasn't surprised that all life had faded from it. This was the part of the story he coldly enjoyed the most. "He asked me if I would kill the Black Stalker, and I turned to him and said, 'Whyever would I do that? He's a great gift. I think I'll name him Dark Nation.' It was a joke, you see? Because only in a nation, a city, as black and dark and as disgusting as Midgar would allow something like that to happen. Even at the top, everyone hates Midgar. But my father didn't realize the joke and just patted me on the back and said he'd hire a trainer to _assist _me train Dark Nation, not outright do it, though. That was the day I realized that I hated my father more than anything in the world."

"I'm sorry..." Aeris said.

"Don't be. I'm not done. My father's madness went beyond that. He'd go to the Honey Bee Inn with a few employees, and have them play with Lightning Materia to make thunderbolts while he delivered speeches about prophecy, all the while wearing archaic armour from Wutai. He was insane, and while at home or outside the workplace, he abused it every chance he had. That's why he hired people like Heidegger and Hojo and Scarlet. Because they all reflected his madness."

"Well, he's not here anymore," she said, and placed a hand over his, taking it in her hand. Her touch was warm and soft, very comforting. "Sephiroth killed him."

He nodded. "I remember that night. I had just come back to Midgar from business in Junon. I rode the helicopter in, landed, and came into the building, only to find the building practically empty. So I radiod the chopper and told them to prep for immediate take off. But I stayed and investigated." He shouldn't be saying this, but he went on anyway. "I went down a few floors, looking for anyone. I finally made it to the lab, and found blood everywhere. Part of me wanted to run, but the morbid curiousity I had inherited from my father took over, and I found myself in the specimen area. I saw Sephiroth. He had discarded Masamune, and he was tearing open the Jenova chamber, so I hid behind some boxes and watched. He took Jenova's body and left. I... I followed." _No! Don't tell her!_ "But not before picking up Masamune. I thought, 'Maybe I'll kill him. Prove once and for all to my father that I'm strong enough for him to love.' It was a stupid thought, but it stuck, and I followed Sephiroth all the way to the top floor, to my father's office. My father was sitting at his desk, screaming at Sephiroth in fear. Yelling insanity and gibbering in terror and throwing threats he could never hope to actually perform. And Sephiroth just stopped, and looked at my father and said, 'Don't follow me.' And my father, this man who had instilled in me that strength was everything, sunk into his chair and trembled in fear. I wanted that kind of power.

"Palmer came up the stairs and saw Sephiroth and hid behind the same pillar that I had been. My father screamed something about Jenova and the Promised Land, and the former General said, 'You think you know something of the Promised Land?' and delivered his speech about how he would cleanse the Planet of our kind. And then he left. My father did nothing to try to stop him. That was the kind of power I wanted, and I would have it. So I whispered to Palmer, 'Sephiroth killed my father.' He looked confused and asked me what I meant. So I just repeated myself, and then added, 'A pity he never approved more funding to the Space Program. A different man might.' And Palmer nodded. So I snuck up behind my father, who was still tremblind in fear, and I killed him with Sephiroth's sword."

Aeris didn't gasp, or make a remark like, 'How could you?' or anything he had expected. Instead, she merely nodded, and pat his hand comfortingly.

"People used to say that no one but Sephiroth could wield Masamune. Part of his legend. But the thing is... anyone can pick it up and swing it around. It's just a really long sword. Anyone at all can just hold it and stab someone in the back with it." He felt ashamed. He could almst hear his father laughing. "Am I a bad person?"

The normal Rufus Shinra wouldn't have ever asked a question like that. He wouldn't have cared. Morals were something up to the historians. But this was a changing Rufus Shinra, a man who was moving on, and possibly becoming better.

Aeris clenched Rufus' hand and answered, "Yes. But you won't always be."

They weren't the words he had sought, but he found that somewhere, they had been the words he had needed. He nodded, and said, "Thank you."

Author's Note:

That chapter had been planned for a while, but was meant to come along much later in the game. But then I realized, 'There's a whole mess of action coming up, and no room for this kind of thing. I have to do it _now_.' So, there it is. Don't worry, Rufus was just in a weak moment right now. We all get those from time to time, so he won't be acting like such a sissy later, heh.


	30. Plan Guy

Author's Note:

Reno: Well, finally.

Reeve: Oh shut up. I'm about as unhappy about this as you are excited.

Reno: Oh, come on. A POV with the two of us! Granted, mostly centered on me, but that's only natural.

Reeve: Oh shut up already. No one thinks you're cool, or suave, or what have you. You're not even as man-pretty as you think you are.

Reno: Aha! You said 'as man-pretty as you think you are.'

Reeve: So?

Reno: So by implication, you think I'm man-pretty! You are so gay for me!

Reeve: Oh god. I better say the disclaimer before fangirls start demanding yaoi content in the disclaimer. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Reno: Admit it. You love me. You wouldn't mind a slash fic set with me. Eh? Think about it.

Reeve: Oh god! Why isn't the fic starting?!

Reno: I am really sexy. And I know you want me.

Reeve: Gah!

Reno: So howabout you and me... y'know...

Reeve: Say it, and I'll sodomize you with your own 'mag-rod.

Reno: Now you're talkin'...

Reeve: Tyramir! Please! Get to the fic! Why do you hate me so?!

Tyramir: I don't hate you per se... All the best plot points just happen to involve your pain and suffering. That, and this _is_ kind of funny.

Reeve: Right now, I hate you as much as I hate Reno. Maybe a little more.

Tyramir: That's nice. Reno, sic 'im!

Reno: Come here, lover boy!

Reeve: Nooooooo!!!

Chapter Thirty

Plan Guy

Reno liked to think that he was an intelligent guy. Not just intelligent. Brilliant. Genius, even. Yeah, that was him all right. A brilliant genius. Way beyond everyone in the brains department. But he also knew that in Shinra, the very best was expected from you, and if you were that much better than someone else, you had to do that much more work. So Reno decided to slack, goof off, drink on the job, flirt with the women, and generally have fun instead of work. Everyone just assumed he was an idiot and left it at that. Except for Tseng. Tseng always saw right through his clever little disguises, his bravado, his ego, and his attempts to make himself look like he was dumber than he actually was. Tseng said nothing to his superiors, and never expected Reno to give his all to the job. He just expected Reno to get the job done. And that he always did. From stealing candy from babies, he loved doing that, to dropping Sector plates, he hated doing that, he always got the job done. He never let morals get in the way, and never put too much effort or brain power into doing it, but he always gave just enough to see it through.

Reno suddenly missed Tseng, and he took another drag of his cigarette as he stared at the computer monitors that overlooked Cait Sith and his jail. Standard eight by ten cell, but the bars had been replaced so that the spacing wasn't as wide between them. Eight guards surrounded the cell at all times, with two outside of it in the hall, and another fifteen guarding the room that led into the hall. Not good.

Now, Reno was one of the best. No one could deny that. Sure, he'd had his ass handed to him by Avalanche a few times, but he was a Turk. And despite all the laziness and urge to screw around when he should be working, he was damn good. Especially with the ladies.

_Fuck. How'm I gonna do this? I can't take on that many guards, even with Elena, or that half-pint Yuff-- waitaminute_.

The beginnings of an idea were coming to the red-headed Turk, and a sudden grin crossed his face. He pulled out his special issue Turk PHS, and pressed the blue button on the bottom, then pressed the number one. Neat little thing on all Turk phones -- press the magic blue button, and all other Turk pagers go off. Depending on what number you pressed following it, that meant meet at a certain location, one being the Turk head office, two through nine being several safe houses located throughout Midgar, Junon, Mideel, Wutai, Kalm, Gongaga, and Rocket Town, and zero meaning scatter, because something went wrong, and all Turks would be best off finding the closest rathole, kicking out the rat and shooting it to make sure it told no one that it saw you, and then hide in it.

He hadn't had much time to instruct Yuffie on what being a Turk was all about, but he had told her the basics. As in, 'Yes, you're going to have to kill people just because someone told you to,' 'Yes, you get to wear a snazzy suit, and if Rufus ever gets around to it, you get an even snazzier car... I miss my old car... fucking Meteor,' some basic Turk protocol, and what the numbers '1' and '0' meant if she ever got them on her pager.

Reno looked at the cell on the camera display, and noted that there wasn't an air ventilation shaft, _however, _there was a Mako shaft. It would stink, and it would probably knock ten years off your life, but a human being could fit in there if they were small enough...

The more he thought about it, the more the plan that was forming in his head appealed to him. An absolute grin split his face in two by the time Elena and Yuffie both showed up, walking side by side into the office.

"Sorry we took so long," Elena said. "The rookie here got lost and I found her wandering around."

Yuffie made an indignant noise but didn't say anything. Reno almost laughed at Elena's comment. It wasn't too long ago that he had been calling her rookie. Hell, now that he thought about it, he realized that he still did.

"What're you smiling about?"

"My own brilliance," he said. "I'm such a godamn genius some days I amaze myself."

Elena rolled her eyes, but Yuffie seemed all enthusiasm. "Did you find a way to free Reeve?"

"Yep. You know, it's day like these that are the proof why _I_ make the big bucks around here. I'm handsome, I'm cool, I get to shoot things for money, but most importantly, I'm _damn_ smart. Now come on, who wants to congratulate me first?"

"Can you get to the point please?" Elena said. "Hojo has me patrolling Lower Junon because he claims there's some sort of new rebel faction rising up against Shinra. He's going to expect my report soon."

"I know, I know," Reno replied. "He has me inspecting the troops regularly and looking for new candidates to join the Turks. A lot of them being former members of Soldier, I might add."

"What's that have to do with anything?" Elena asked. "That's not unusual."

"I've been looking into their files. All of them were recommended into Soldier by Professor Hojo. All of them were given the Soldier enhancement process by Hojo. Hell, this one file here..." Reno said indicating a pile of papers on his desk, "...A guy named Ivon Trask. Says he's fifty years old, but the picture of him looks like a guy that's twenty. Put through all kinds of secret experiments that even _I _don't have the clearance to look at. It all stinks. I don't trust them, and I don't trust Hojo. But that's besides the point. Yuffie, what's Hojo got you doing?"

"Well, uh..." Yuffie started, seeming oddly hesitant. "He has me... uh... kidnaping people for Soldier."

Reno snorted. "That's the best you could come up with? You, the infamous ninja Princess Yuffie? Your lies are suppsed to be the stuff of legend, and you can't come up with anything better than that?"

Yuffie turned a very deep colour of red, and refused to look directly at the Turk, averting her eyes. "He doesn't have me doing anything. He hasn't given me any orders yet, so I just took advantage of it and have been, uh..."

"Slacking off?"

"Yeah."

"We'll make a Turk out of you yet," Reno said, managing to keep his grin on. "Now, I have a plan. I'm a regular plan guy. And this one is perfect for King Plan Guy himself."

"Will you _please_ get to the point and stop patting yourself on the back?" Elena demanded.

"Yeesh, calm down, rookie. Here's my plan. It's nice and simple. Hojo took over Reeve's body and seems to know everything that Reeve does, right? But Reeve was busy elsewhere getting taken over by Hojo when we recruited Yuffs here. So, Reeve doesn't know that Yuffie's a Turk, and by extension, Hojo doesn't know that she is either. Rufus left before he could file any paper work on her, and I know I haven't gotten around to it yet. That's why she hasn't been getting any assignments from him. He doesn't know she's here."

"Okay, clever," Elena said. "So how'sYuffie going to get around all the guards to free Reeve?"

"Well, first we need someone to knock out the power. But it can't be you or me. We need alibis, so Hojo doesn't suspect us. We need to bring someone else in on this, but I haven't figured out who... It's the only flaw in my plan right now."

"Shera!" Yuffie blurted. "I mean... well, Shera came here with Aeris, right? And she doesn't know what's going on, but maybe we let her in on it and get her to knock out the power we'll be all set for your plan, right?"

Elena whistled, and Reno just stood there standing at his newest recruit. It took him a minute to realize that his mouth was hanging open, and when he did, he firmly clamped it shut. Yuffie was looking at Reno expecting, what? Approval? Praise? He wasn't sure.

"Not bad," he said. "Not bad at all. Okay, we'll do things that way. I'll let you talk to Shera."

"What's the rest of your plan?" Elena said.

"Oh, easy. There's a Mako shaft leading into the cell Reeve's in. It's basically just there to vent Mako fumes in there and make life uncomfortable for the prisoners. Sucks to be on guard duty in there. Yuffie's small enough to fit in there... She's even already gone through some of those ducts already. We just need to get a blueprint of the system so she can have something to navigate by."

"And take out the room full of guards," Elena said.

"There's only eight," both Reno and Yuffie said at once, then looked at each other. He smirked, then reached over and ruffled her hair. "You aren't so bad once I get to know you. Remind me of me when I was an immature braggart."

"You still are," Yuffie said.

"Oh right. But I'm the boss now, so you guys aren't supposed to point shit like that out. You're supposed to show me some respect, end sentences with 'sir', that kind of thing. Got that?"

"Whatever."

Author's Note:

Sorry it took so long to post this... I haven't been feeling well. Lame excuse I know, but still there. I'm gonna go hide under some blankets now.


	31. The Red Wings

Author's Note:

Rude: ...

Tifa: He says 'Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.' It says so all over his face.

Rude: Only because you wrote on it with a magic marker.

Chapter Thirty One

The Red Wings

Making a narrow life or death escape was normal for Rude. He was used to it by now, having been a member of both Soldier and the Turks. It came with the territory. Battle, espionage, kidnaping, there was always some level of risk involved, and he both understood and respected the consequences. He had managed to survive this long, and for very good reason. He was good at what he did. Plain and simple. And part of what went with that was the ability to keep a level head, which Rude was famous for.

However, despite his quiet exterior, and his ability to keep his emotions in check while 'on the job', he found himself deeply annoyed at the idea of escaping the clutches of a howling army of albinos into safety, only to find that very safety was a pitiful group of villagers, all huddled together and praying, all of them paranoid of intruders.

The display of such was currently pointed directly at Rude's throat in the form of a sword blade. What was worse, the man that held the sword was shaking. He was terrified of the Turk, but didn't even know who or what he was. This stranger held Rude's life in his hands, and now that the Turk had a good look at him, he realized that this man was only a boy, and worse, had probably never held a sword before in his life. This was the person who might very well end Rude's career?

He didn't move, but carefully shifted his vision, searching the room for Tifa. She was what mattered now, but he couldn't see her, only more boys pretending at being men, all holding weapons of some sort, mostly swords, a few spears, a couple even had guns. That made him want to swear even more. What had they done with her?

Instead of waiting for the boy to get some courage, or make a stupid mistake, depending on how smart the person was in charge of Fort Condor, the Turk decided to take matters into his own hands. He was never one for speaking, so instead of trying to rationalize, he did what he was best at.

Both of his fists lashed out, and the boy's sword went spinning end over end through the air. Before anyone could react, Rude was back on his feet, throwing punches and kicks, disabling the rabble and knocking them all about the room. One, already disarmed, managed to get behind him and leap onto his back, striking him about the head and shoulders with his fists. Rude stumbled for a second before he managed to throw his assailant off and into another boy who was reaching for a discarded weapon.

But in the moment it took to relieve himself of his attack, the other boys, fifteen in all, had realized their mistake in depending on weapons. They, like the fellow before him, all leaped at him at once, intent on wrestling him down. They were managing to strike some decent blows, and Rude let out a grunt or two. He was about to throw the lot of them off and start cracking skulls when the door opened, admitting Tifa and an old man. Tifa's face was surprised, while the man's seemed amused.

"I see your friend has met the Red Wings," the man said. "I trust you're all through playing?"

The teenagers all hanging off of Rude managed to give sheepish looks at the old man, and then released the Turk, all backing away. Looking at the retreating boys, Rude slowly stood up and brushed off his shirt sleeves, cracked his knuckles, and followed it up by doing the same with his neck. Some of the boys flinched, but one, around seventeen, maybe as old as eighteen, said, "We're sorry. Your eyes.... the way they glow. We thought you were with them. The White Scourge."

Swearing softly, Rude reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out his sunglasses and put them back on. He had forgotten that he'd taken them off while climbing up the mountainous area around Fort Condor. Stupid mistake letting people see his Mako eyes like that, announcing that he used to be in Soldier.

"Takkin," Tifa said to the old man, "you said something about these albinos. They're called the White Scourge? What do you know about them?"

The old man identified as Takkin shrugged and said, "We don't know much about them at all. We've been in on and off contact with Cosmo Canyon over a radio, but the signal will periodically get jammed. They are the ones who came up with the name 'White Scourge', a nickname of sorts, as we know nothing about them. Whatwe do know is that they do not like the light, and they are all albinos, which implies they are from underground. Furthermore, they all turn to ash when they die."

Rude nodded to himself. That would explain the amounts of ash he had found outside prior to the attack.

Tifa suddenly gave a start, as if realizing something, and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry. In all the excitement in getting caught up with you, I nearly forgot that you don't know my companion. Takkin, this is Rude. Rude, this is Takkin. Avalanche met up with him during our travels. We helped him repel a Shinra attack against Fort Condor."

"A pleasure to meet you, Rude," Takkin said. "By your suit, I would say you were a Turk. Am I mistaken?"

Rude shook his head, "Former Turk."

"In the past month, things have been so hectic that I haven't been able to go out and get him a new wardrobe yet, so it's filled with nothing but Turk suits. He doesn't work for Shinra anymore, don't worry."

Takkin smiled. "I was afraid that the Red Wings would give you trouble because of your suit, but not because of your eyes. You were in Soldier, I take it?"

The former Turk didn't let it show on his face, but inwardly he was swearing. Of course the old man would have realized what the eyes meant. He nodded reluctantly, figuring there was no use denying it.

"Hmm, good. As you can see, Fort Condor is under siege. We have a small band of mercenaries here, left over from when we had to keep Shinra from attacking our reactor, and I'm in charge of them, and they may listen to Tifa. We also have a small militia band currently without a leader, and we could certainly use your help in both commanding them and training them. If you are traveling with Tifa, you must be a good man. An experienced member of Soldier like you, and a Turk on top of it, would do well as a leader and trainer of fighters."

Rude nearly flinched at that. He was a fighter, no doubt about that, but a leader? That had always been Tseng, with Reno as the second in command. Rude had always been the intimidation and the brawn. Stand there and look tough.

Tifa smiled at him hopefully, and he inwardly groaned.

"I'll do it," he said. "Who do I have to train?"

"Why," the old man said, "the Red Wings of course."

Author's Note:

I'm sure the hardcore FF fans noticed the significance of the name 'Red Wings' meant, and what that implies of Rude. If not, shame on you. I might tell you, but I'm lazy, and I like people figuring this stuff out for themselves.

I'm gonna go back to my blankets now and die for a little while.


	32. The Library

Author's Note:

Red XIII: Where are the usual disclaiming duo?

Barret: Reeve's runnin' from Reno, screamin' sumthin' 'bout not doin' no yaoi. Dunno what that means.

Red XIII: I do not either, and I have studied and read extensively. I've never heard of this term 'yaoi' before.

Vincent: ... I have.

Barret: What's it mean?

Vincent: Uh... go to a site called fanfiction dot net. But be warned, it's a hive of scum, villainy, and Harry Potter slash. There you will find out what 'yaoi' means.

later

Barret: Good lord!

Red XIII: I concur. That is _sick_. Vincent, you poor soul. I had no idea how many people thought you should be paired with... my lord, I can't even say it.

Barret: I know. I mean, the Cid and the Sephiroth and the Cloud pairin's are all bad enough, but... Yuffie! That ain't no yaoi, but that's just wrong! She's 16! You're technically around 50!

Vincent: I know. Thank goodness it looks like Tyramir's trying to foist her off on Reno. He always struck me as the baby fucking type.

Reno: I'm who with the what now?

Vincent: Never mind. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Chapter Thirty Two

The Library

After Elder Juyan had ordered the gates opened, the refugees from Corel and Gold Saucer made their way into the relative safety of Cosmo Canyon. Barret went back to the wagon, and looked back as if expecting Vincent to follow, who chose to stay at the head of the crowd, flanked by Dio and Red XIII. The cat-like protector looked at the unconcious Elder Dorret, who was being carried down from the battlements by two guards, with disdain.

The Elder who had identified himself as Juyan ran up to the three, a broad smile on his face. He was an older man with tinges of gray in his hair, and a paunch on his belly. "Welcome home, Nanaki! I am immensely sorry for the rude welcome you received. Unfortunately, that scounrdrel Dorret had Frennal's support, so I was over-ruled in the vote on whether or not to let refugees in. I am dreadfully sorry."

The cat-like creature snorted. "It's all right, Juyan. You can't help what fools do. You did manage to get us in, though, and for that I am glad."

Juyan beamed. "I am happy to be of service. Unfortunately, Dorret is only looking out for his own concerns, and Frennal is a coward, following whoever he thinks is currently in a position of power. Things have not been the same since Bugenhagen led the Elders. It is not a good time to be in Cosmo Canyon."

"Pity," Dio said. "I've always liked this place. I thought Cosmo Canyon would be the last place to be overcome by Shinra politics. Short of Wutai, that is."

Juyan nodded agreeably. "I'd agree with you there. But treachery and self-interest seem to be in style with Bugenhagen gone. Cosmo Canyon is not the same place it used to be, Nanaki."

Another snort issued from the feline warrior. "This is my home. Cosmo Canyon is would do better with such change. But forget those fools. I'd like to introduce my friends. Juyan, this is Vincent Valentine, and Dio of Gold Saucer."

Juyan nodded to them both, a smile staying on his jovial face. "And your large friend that wandered off... with the mechanical hand. The one with the amazing way with words?"

"Barret Wallace. You've met him before. He's with Avalanche."

"Oh yes... Avalanche. You know, I met the founding leader once. Amazing man, ambitious certainly. I believe his name was... Zangan. Full of ideas, and bitterness. I suspect Shinra hurt him at one point. Ah, I wonder whatever happened to-"

Red XIII cut him off firmly, "What do we know of this White Scourge?"

Juyan didn't even appear taken aback, merely answered, "A little, but not much. We've been looking through old tomes in the Library, but most are in dead languages. We've actually been awaiting your return to help translate them. While Bugenhagen was the only of us proficient in the Cetra language, I understand that you have some knowledge of it."

The feline began to walk in the direction of the Library, answering, "Not much, but I pray that it will be enough."

The three men and the cat-like warrior made their way to one of the many cavernous tunnels in the side of the mountain that made up Cosmo Canyon. Unlike the others, though, this one was far larger than the rest, located towards the side of the mountain. It was decorated with a pair of large wooden doors, gilded in steel, and obviously reinforced.

Juyan smiled, looking over the doorway. "This is the pride of Cosmo Canyon. It is our most protected treasure. Few get to enter its gates, and those that do must always be accompanied by an Elder. Feel honoured."

"Always wanted to see this," Barret said, trotting up to the group, puffing slightly. Marlene was riding on his back, clutching her small arms around her adopted father's neck. He explained, "Didn't wanna leave Marlene by herself, and took me a minute to find you guys."

Walking up to a gathering of rocks, Juyan pushed at one, and a control panel opened up in the rockwall beside the door. "Something Bugenhagen designed," he said. "The library can be opened easily enough from the inside, but from the outside, it is far more difficult. Bugenhagen designed it to be a vault of sorts. Nothing short of a direct hit from the Junon cannon would open these doors. Only those whose need is great, or who can be trusted are allowed within. And you, my friends, are both."

Pressing a few buttons on the control panel, the doors gave a loud groan and swung open. Juyan motioned the group in, who immediately went into the library, followed by the Elder. Once inside, lights flared to life, and the doors swung shut behind them, groaning loudly.

All about were stacks upon stacks of books, soaring to the ceiling. Ladders and stairways were all about to reach the various levels of shelves, and in the center of the room was a large round table, littered with books that had been left open.

"You will have to forgive the mess," Juyan apologized. "Normally we keep this room as tidy as possible, but with the arrival of the Tali Hishna, we've been scrambling for information."

"Tali Hishna?" Dio asked.

"The White Scourge, as the common folk have labeled them. Or at least, that is our theory. Ancient Cetra records describe the original war against Jenova, and her infected followers. The Cetra influenced by her fought against the uninfected ones, and a great war ensued. The Tali Hishna, 'True Children' in ancient Cetra, were a horrible enemy, because they could be anyone, anywhere. So one of the Cetra Elders, a man of great power, called forth his power and cast a curse upon those tainted by Jenova. 'Thy blood will be as ash, as ye will be unto death' were the Elder's final words. His spell consumed him, and took his life. But it gave the Cetra the advantage they needed. They could test those around them to see if they were of the Tali Hishna by cutting them. Those that did not shed blood were not their kin, and could be killed. At this point, confrontations became more open between the two factions, and the Tali Hishna were defeated, said to be driven underground. No one knows for certain what happened to them after that, but we believe these White Scourge to be them."

"The ash thing fits," Barret said, and Dio nodded.

Juyan said, "Yes, but unfortunately, we haven't been able to translate any more. That's why we needed to wait for Nanaki... where did he go?"

The group looked about, and saw the giant cat laying down on the table with all the books, reading one over, his tail absently twitching. He looked up and asked, "Can I get someone to turn the page for me?"

Juyan smiled, and Barret immediately walked over to his companion, followed by Dio and the Elder. Barret flipped the page for Red XIII, who made a small cat-like noise in appreciation. A few minutes passed as the cat scanned over the page, and then he nodded.

"I haven't been able to make out much, but from what I've managed to see, I've come up with a way to prove whether these are the Tali Hishna or not. Long ago, it's said they had developed the power to counter Cetra magic. Jenova gave them this, but only a select few had it, their... I'm afraid this doesn't translate well... 'Yenta Pree.' I'm not sure what it means, exactly. But these 'Yenta Pree' apparently could use their own powers to negate other magics."

"So?" Barret said.

"So, if we have any problems using Materia," Red XIII explained, "we would know that these are in fact the Tali Hishna."

"They are," Vincent said. Everyone jumped, having nearly forgotten their demonic looking friend was there. "Before my ... change... I attempted to use a Cure Materia, but failed repeatedly. At first I thought it was a lapse in concentration because of my injuries, but I realize now it was induced by an outside force. I am certain that these albinos are the Tali Hishna."

Red XIII glanced back at the book and made a noise. "Fascinating. I can't tell much, but it says here the Tali Hishna are adept with illusion. That is, the Yenta Pree were. A defensive measure, mostly... It says 'Beware the Tainted Tongue, for it lies to both the ears and the eyes.' Very poetic, and not very useful, but it goes into detail about the Yenta Pree using their own brand of magic to weave 'lies into air', so that their enemies, the uninfected Cetra, would focus their attacks on the illusions and not the-"

Suddenly, the doors to the library swung open again, and the group turned to face the newcomer. Elder Dorret, a large bruise adorning the side of his face, strode in, flanked by Elder Frennal and a half dozen armed guards. Dorret did not look happy.

"Juyan!" he bellowed, but then stopped, regaining his composure. "We will talk later. I have news for the others, your... guests. We just received two messages over our radio. The first being so badly garbled, I couldn't make it out, but the words 'help' were repeated. I suspect it is another distress signal."

Juyan sighed, and said, "Whoever it was, we can't help them. We're too caught up here."

Dorret smirked. "Of course we can't help them. I almost thought you'd be fool enough to try. Unfortunately, we can't even locate the source of the transmission, so we don't even know who it is."

"And the second message?" Vincent said menacingly.

The balding Elder flinched, looking over the demonic being in his presence, and said, "From Fort Condor. They said they've taken in a pair of Avalanche members, your kind, and have not only survived another attack, but actually managed to drive it back. How, they didn't say. The message cut off. These White Scourge-"

"Tali Hishna," Red XIII corrected.

"_White Scourge_," Dorret emphasized and continued, "have managed to block most of our radio transmissions very well. It is very rare that we're able to communicate with the outside world. We have few allies, and those we do have are either refugees or under siege like Fort Condor. Do you have any suggestions?" He turned that question on Barret, his eyes narrowing.

Juyan frowned, but understood. Barret had been the one to challenge Dorret at the gates and sway the other Elder to act against him. Juyan himself would be reprimanded, but Barret was definitely seen as an adversary.

"Yeah. Put my people to work on fortifications, arm 'em with what you've got. We'll kick the shit outta them White Scourge right back to where they came from. And I know where to get some allies, if you got the balls to ask 'em for help."

"Who?" Dorret asked.

"Shinra."

Author's Note:

I think I finally have this cold beat. Now before you all go whining about the Zangan reference earlier on... don't worry, I'll explain it later. I know I'm practically rewriting the original game, but I'm fleshing it out a bit. All will be explained.


	33. Yenta Pree

Author's Note:

FF: Still don't own it.

Chapter Thirty Three

Yenta Pree

The plans in leaving Kalm were simple. Cloud left a note in the inn for anyone from Avalanche who returned, but he doubted that anyone would. Yuffie as a Turk, would most likely not be coming back. Rude and Tifa were trapped in Fort Condor, by who knows how large a force of these 'Tali Hishna', and Red XIII and Barret, who had left his gun-arm in Cloud's care, were like-wise trapped in Cosmo Canyon, which was supposedly 'just a distraction.' And worse, with Aeris in Shinra's hands, he feared that he would never see her again.

So Cloud, with Ultima Weapon in its sheathe on his back, and carrying Barret's Missing Score in a sack, left the Kalm inn, planning on heading to the Chocobo ranch and obtain one of the birds to make his trip to Midgar that much faster.

He walked along the ever-growing streets of Kalm, larger than ever before because of the Midgarian refugees bolstering the town into a small city, with everything planned and set in his mind. On the way out of the city, though, he spotted a new automotive store, just recently opened. A small smile spread over Cloud's face.

An hour later, and a few thousand gil poorer, Cloud rode out of Kalm on a new motorcycle, headed directly for Midgar. His hair flailed about him as the wind caught it up, and he steeled himself with determination. Headed for battle like this, even without knowing who or what the enemy exactly was, or how many of them there were, Cloud felt confident that he would defeat anything in his path.

No, more than confident. There was an adrenaline rush in his veins, his blood pumping with electricity. He could feel it in his fingertips, in his toes. This was what it was like to be alive. To know that you were headed into danger, and knowing that you would overcome it, against all odds.

The fact that his friends were in danger, that he had made a deal with Shinra, that Aeris was in Rufus' hands meant nothing. It was all behind him like the distance he rode across, a blurred motion of speed as it streaked towards Midgar.

It wasn't long until he was there, and he continued to motor across the city, carefully avoiding any of the broken down reactors. There was something he wanted to do first before any confrontations with the Tali Hishna.

Angling his motocycle onto a strip of broken road, he headed towards the center of the city, avoiding the dead bodies of monsters and dead Soldiers as well as rubble and debris caused by Meteor, Obsidian Weapon, Jenova and Shin Bahamut.

He slowed his ride down as he approached the wreckage of the Highwind. Despite Cid's ashes being committed to the winds, Cloud still felt that on some level, the ruins of his beloved airship were in fact the old pilot's grave. Putting the bike to a full stop and getting off, Cloud walked to the ruins slowly, hesitantly. He was almost half way there when he stopped altogether, unable to go further.

Something in his head screamed danger, and he drew Ultima Weapon, whirling about just in time to see a blast of blue electricity. It took him full in the chest, striking him down. Millions of needles pierced his nerves, an infinite number of razors cut him.

He was left gasping for breath, on his back twenty feet from where he had been, wondering what had just hit him. Feeling at his rib cage, he winced. One of them was definitely cracked. He rolled, just quickly enough to avoid a second blast, this one a red flame which scorched the ground that he had just been lying on.

Standing, he looked at his attacker, a tall and thin albino, with long hair that stood straight up. He wore grey robes with black runes scrawled about them, and a gold staff was held in his hand. His eyes burned with a fanatical intensity.

"You survived" the man observed, his voice sounding like three overlapping voices, two male and one female. "You must be powerful indeed, Champion, to survive our initial attack."

Cloud grit his teeth and raised Ultima Weapon in front of him. "Who are you?"

"We are the Yenta Pree" came the answer. "The last of our kind. You are the Champion. We know you, for we saw you slay Mother. We thank you."

"Thank me..." Cloud asked dubiously, but was forced to leap aside as a stream of blue energy flashed at him from the Yenta Pree's staff, covering the ground with frost. He kept moving, dodging wave after wave of energy, nearly crying out as he moved, he chest on fire from the one hit he had taken. Noting that the energy blasts the Yentra Pree fired followed a pattern, electricity, fire, then ice, Cloud frowned. Why the obvious way of doing it? Three attacks, three voices. Was there a connection?

He didn't have time to think of it further, another barrage of blasts coming from the Yenta Pree. As he did so, a small group of albino figures scrambled from behind some rubble, charging at him with swords drawn.

Cloud didn't think. He just acted. His sword swung several times, and instantly there were seven piles of ash littering the ground. He allowed himself to slip into a concentrated anger, working his aggression out as he fought.

_Aeris!_

Another of the Tali Hishna fell.

_Cid!_

A pile of dust hit the ground.

_Rude!_

The last of them fell in a final barrage of fury, and Cloud managed to dodge just to the side, avoiding another blast from the Yenta Pree. This was insane. If more of those albinos were about, or worse, another Yenta Pree, he'd get killed. This had obviously been a trap of some sorts. The Yenta Pree had been expecting him. How many pockets of these murderous Tali Hishna were there hiding in the rubble, waiting for him to stumble on them as he fled?

But if this was a trap, who had told the Yenta Pree?

Hiding behind a rock, he frowned, the only thought coming to mind being the note he had left in Kalm. Had the Yenta Pree managed to get a hold of the note somehow and plan all this? No... that couldn't be it... but how...?

Of course. His Jenova-tainted blood. They were related in a sense. Could the Yenta Pree sense him like Sephiroth could? It made sense, and the more Cloud thought about it, the more he realized that he was probably right.

But for now, the questions would have to wait.

Scrambling from behind the rock, Cloud charged the Yenta Pree, who had been looking for him amongst the rubble. The figure managed to give the Soldier a shocked look before Ultima Weapon passed through its body. The Yenta Pree shimmered, and then suddenly disappeared in a flash of light. Cloud reacted instantly, rolling forwards, tumbling away as a blast of blue electricity came from the left of where he had been standing.

Illusion! Somehow the Yenta Pree could make itself appear somewhere it wasn't. What else could it do?

Before he had time to collect his thoughts, a blast of ice struck him in the leg, freezing his foot to the ground. He jolted forward, his momentum still carrying him even thought he was stuck. His ankle jerked, his foot dislocating as he struck the ground face first.

"It was only a matter of time," the three voiced creature said.

Fumbling at his Materia, Cloud produced a green orb, which he knew was Fire. He concentrated, trying to cast the spell. The Materia glowed, then winked out.

"We've locked that spell away," the Yenta Pree said, advancing closer.

Taking out a Lightning Materia, the first one that came to hand, he tried to cast again, but found similar results.

"That one, too."

Gritting his teeth, he pulled at the green orb in his bracer, the one sitting by itself, the most dangerous one he had. Focusing, he turned himself about. Green energy poured off him in waves as he focused.

"Ultima" he uttered as he released the spell at the Yenta Pree.

Surprise flickered across the Tali Hishna's face as pure energy slammed into its body, throwing it back. Jerking at his ankle, Cloud screamed. His foot came free, and immediately he was limping towards his motorcycle. Tali Hishna began to pour from the ruins, having seen the green light of Ultima in the darkness, but Cloud merely focused on his Materia, casting the deadly spell in rapid succession, blasting the albinos back, even pulverizing some of them into ash.

Stumbling away, Cloud managed to find his motorcycle, and revving up the engine, managed to motor away as a legion of troops followed him. All the while, he wondered how he could truly get away if the Yenta Pree could sense him.

Author's Note:

I am so sorry this took so long... I seem to be doing a lot of apologizing lately. I got caught up with Fesitval of Swords, a writing competition at a site called Silklantern. I'm determined to win, so I've been putting all my energy into that, and I'm afraid it might reflect in this chapter. That, and it's hard to write just one character and have no one to play off of.


	34. Heavy Cavalry

Author's Note:

I'm still participating in Festival of Swords, so don't be surprised if my posting gets really slow. However, I appear to have won the first round. Festival of Swords is an event being held at Silklantern (dotcom), which is a Wheel of Time RP site. I hope to claim victory, but I have some pretty good competition.

Oh, and I still don't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Thirty Four

Heavy Cavalry

"Stop the car!" Rufus yelled.

Searing pain shot through his skull, igniting his synapses in a bonfire of agony. He clenched his eyes, and did everything he could to keep from screaming. Distantly, he could hear Aeris making almost whimpering noises of pain, reacting to the same thing he undoubtedly was. They were close. The Planet was screaming to them, calling out its pain, trying to warn them of something.

The vehicle screeched as its driver slammed on the brakes, who was yelling on his handheld radio to the other units to do the same. Rufus was barely aware of any of it through the pain gripping onto him. It was more intense than it had been in Junon, coming over him in pounding waves. And then, just as before, it was over.

But as it disappeared, a brief vision of a man in robes carrying a staff, his skin and hair completely white, flickered before his eyes. A man with a blazing staff, and a superior, emotionless expression on his face. But there was more. There were two others as well. One male, similar yet different, crackling with lightning, and a female, much the same as the two men, but her staff was sheathed in ice. The three seemed to be standing side by side, almost touching, but at the same time, Rufus knew they were separated by a distance of miles.

"Orders, sir?" the soldier up front asked.

"Prepare for an attack!" Rufus snarled.

He looked out his window, assessing their location. They were driving through man-made trails in the middle of the mountains, headed steadily eastward. According to his mental map, they would probably be a little north-east of Fort Condor now, heading towards the old Mythril Mines. Danger was all about him, he knew, but the call, the desperate plee for help from the Planet, was coming from those mines.

"Did you see...?" Rufus asked.

Aeris nodded. "Three figures. Albinos... all have some sort of power. The Planet said... Yenta Pree?"

Rufus shook his head, not sure. Had the Planet called them something? He wasn't sure. There had been far too much pain to concentrate on the details. And yet somehow, this flower girl had managed to go through the same pain he had been in and get more information. Was she that much more focused than him?

Rufus Shinra had always thought himself strong, but knowing that Aeris had managed to get more information than him was a little... humbling. He hated that feeling, but at the same time, he respected the girl all the more for it.

"They're here, aren't they?" Rufus asked.

Aeris shook her head. "No... they aren't. But... I think one of them is. It hates us. I can feel it."

That was all Rufus needed to hear. He leaned towards the driver, ordering, "Tell everyone to get ready for a battle. We can't navigate in this valley that well, so we're going to have to take up a defensive position. Send the order to have the cars form a box with a tank positioned every seven cars. This car will be positioned in the middle of the box, as well as one helicopter. The other four helicopters are to do recon throughout the area. Any soldiers armed with bazookas are to position themselves behind the cars, using them as shields. Keep any swordsmen inside the box. They're the backup should the box be breached. Is that understood?"

The soldier gave a crisp "Yes, sir!" and then repeated Rufus' orders over the radio, assigning specific platoons to certain tasks, and filling in details that Rufus had left out due to his lack of precise military know-how and procedure.

"How long will they wait before they attack?" Rufus asked Aeris.

She peered out the window, and he looked out as well, to see the sun bobbing along the mountainous horizon. "Sunset," she answered. "Four hours, maybe."

He nodded, and knew she was right. During his vision, he had the distinct feeling that these enemies didn't like the light. An idea occured to him.

"Lieutenant," he said to the driver, who was still busy issuing orders.

"Yes, sir?"

"Did we bring any search lights with us?"

The man seemed to ponder, then answered, "Each helicopter is assigned a disassembled one in case of emergency, since the light tends to take up the spot the gunner would normally have. I imagine it will take two hours to put them all together. Aside from that, every soldier is assigned a flashlight in his pack."

Two hours. That would take far too long. He needed those helicopters out scouting, to determine the enemy position before they attacked.

"Recall one of the helicopters," Rufus said. "Have that one as well as the one that will be within the box take out their search lights and put them together. I want them completed by nightfall."

The man once again nodded, and set to giving out orders. All the while, Rufus smiled a dark smile.

Later that day, dusk fast approaching, Rufus patrolled the camp, giving out orders, Aeris close behind him. He had his shotgun holstered at his hip underneath his coat, as well as another special surprise. Murasame was sheathed there, hidden safely, taken from Jenova's corpse after her defeat. When he had made a move to grab Aeris then and allowed Valentine to chase him away, he had done so on purpose. At the time, Aeris has been merely a distraction, to take their minds off the blade. A powerful weapon, indeed. And more suited to his style of swordplay, having been trained as fencer when he was younger. Using the dopplehander Ultima Weapon against Cloud had shown that while the President was a good swordsman, he wasn't suited to the style of the massive blade as well as he thought he'd be.

But now, with Murasame at his hip... it felt right. He felt unstoppable. The urge to find Strife and conclude their previous duel filled his veins, but he knew he'd lose credibility with Aeris. He had to prove himself to her. She was the key to it all.

But that didn't matter. He looked to the horizon, and saw the sun coming down, and with it, the helicopters he had set out earlier to scout. Red lights flashed on their flanks. An old Shinra signal Heidegged had come up with. It meant an enemy was in pursuit.

It had begun.

Author's Notes:

Jeez, when it came to the stuff where Rufus was interacting with Aeris, I just froze right up. I'm really beginning to not like her, heh. As soon as the two separated, though, I had the chapter done inside ten minutes. Hopefully it won't take too long to put the next one up...


	35. Soldier

Reno: Aha! We're back to my point of view!

Reeve: Actually, we're not.

Reno: What? But... But Tyramir made a rotation! Rufus, Reno, Rude, Barret, Cloud! That's the way it works now!

Reeve: No, it revolves around those plot lines. So, say he wants to do a chapter on Barret's story, but needs to do it from Red XIII's POV... it'd still be in the right rotation story-wise, just not character-wise.

Reno: This is so unfair! Who's replacing me for this POV?

Reeve: Shera.

Reno: What the FUCK! Shera! Oh come on! This is bullshit!

Reeve: I find it kind of amusing, myself. Remember, you were the one who recruited her into your plan.

Reno: But I didn't mean for it to be at the expense of my popularity!

Reeve: Heh. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Chapter Thirty Five

Soldier

Shera tightened her lab coat about her, wondering for the hundredth time what she was doing down in this dark sub-basement in the Underwater Reactor by herself, armed with nothing but a tool kit in one hand, and a flashlight in the other. She didn't know the Turks, and she most certainly didn't trust them, but for some reason, she had listened to their story, and now, here she was, ready to help with their hastily constructed plan.

But why?

Frowning, she ran the past few hours through her head again, trying to remember exactly what it was that had convinced her.

_Everyone who had ever lived in Midgar had heard of the Turks, and everyone who ever associated with them knew they were trouble. Shera, having been both a resident of Midgar and an employee of Shinra knew that these two official-looking Shinra officers were more than trouble. _

_The woman named who had introduced herself as Elena had all the air and confidence of someone who thought they knew what they were doing, but really had no clue. She was probably a good fighter, both in hand-to-hand combat and with the pistol that was inevitably under her suit jacket, but as far as being a Turk, she was a rookie, unused to the murky politics of Shinra, and inexperienced in its own type of danger._

_But while Elena was probably a danger to no one but herself, her companion, Reno, was a train wreck that was waiting to explode and take a lot of people out nearby with him. She knew of the Turk, had heard of his reputation. This was the man who had brought down Sector 7, the man who disobeyed orders and made merry with whatever woman he could, whenever he could. His reputation as a Turk was something that would be legendary after he died, but would still forever be shadowed under the reputation of others, such as Tseng Kusami, and even more so, Vincent Valentine._

_"Come on, doll," Reno said, a slightly wheedling note in his voice. "I'm not asking much."_

_Sighing, she adjusted her glasses, and tapped her pen against the stack of notes on her desk. "You're asking me to commit sabotage on a Shinra office."_

_"I am not! I just need the lights off in the building for a little while. I need to flush out a corporate rat, and I figure the best way to do that is to turn the lights off, make him nervous. When unexpected things start to happen, people who are in the business of espionage start to get edgy, and they make mistakes. That's why I'm not going through official channels to do this. Reeve's such a bumbler that he'd let the info leak of what we're doing and why. If it makes you feel any better, sure, think of it as sabotage. You hate Shinra, right?"_

_Suddenly wary of some sort of trap, she kept her face straight. Was this some sort of loyalty test? Did they know what she was planning?_

_"Everyone hates Shinra," Reno continued. "It's okay if you don't like it either. Besides, all you'll be doing is shutting off the lights. Tell you what, you do it, and it's dinner for two, just me an' you, at that fancy new Wutaian restaurant that opened up across town. What do you say?"_

_He flashed a smile at her, and while she had to admit that it was endearing and very attractive, she wanted to lean across the table and slap him. He had been right. She did hate Shinra, but then, so did everyone. But she more so than most. _

_"I want you to leave my office," she said firmly._

_"Don't like Wutaian?" the Turk continued. "Fair enough. I honestly hate the stuff, too. Reminds me of a little Materia thief I once met in the alps. Funny story, that."_

_She sighed, then said, "If I listen, will that get you to leave any quicker?"_

_"Sure. This thief, loved Materia a lot. Acted like a real _princess_, too, you get my meaning?"_

_His eyes were intent, as if he was trying to make her understand something, but as far as she knew, he was just rambling. Was he trying to say something?_

_"Well, I met her in the alps by Icicle Inn. She had a couple loud friends, two of them with guns. They liked ot hunt or fight or something, making noise all over the place. But you know what happens in the alps around Icicle Inn when you make a lot of noise? All that snow, makes one big _avalanche_."_

_There. The stress again. He was trying to say something to her, in code? She tried to remember. Wutaian princess? She'd never really met many Wutaians before, mostly just Tseng and that one girl that traveled with Cloud and Cid. What was her name? Yuffie. She'd come along with her and Aeris to Junon wearing a Turk suit._

_So that was it. The avalanche, the 'Wutaian Princess'. He was trying to say something about Avalanche, but what, she wasn't sure._

_"Well, this avalanche, buried some people, especially a friend of mine. Nice guy, although a bit of a _cat_ person. I don't like cats myself, always running around, but this one got caught, y'see? Buried under all that snow, and no one around to help him. Just me and 'Lena here trying to get him out, but we weren't good enough by ourselves. We needed some help, but we were never good at asking for it _directly_, y'know? Pride and stuff. People might hear us asking for _help_, and it'd get around, reach the wrong people, and then our reputations would be ruined, and we don't want that, do we?"_

_She nodded the whole time, taking it in. A cat person. Needed help. Didn't want people to hear them asking for help. So, Reno was afraid that her office might be bugged, and that someone might be listening in. Was his story of some kind of corporate spy true, asking her to turn off the lights in the building like this? Or was there something else?_

_She had heard whispers of some sort of cat doll being captured, but... of course. Cait Sith. She'd heard Cid talk about him. 'A brilliant machine, if I ever saw one. But don't tell the damn cat that I said that if y'ever meet him.' She smiled wistfully, her memory of Cid fleeting. Her smile abruptly faded, remembering the pack of papers on her desk, covered in a folder to prevent the Turks from seeing them._

_"Funny story," she said. "I'll turn off the lights as you've requested. Will that be all? I'm really busy, working on the Highwind project and all."_

_The Turk made a small, mocking bow, and then turned to leave, Elena just ahead of him. When the blond left the room, Reno abruptly stopped and closed the door behind her, then turned to face Shera once again._

_"I looked at the plans for the Highwind the other day, by the way. Interesting stuff, you have there. Can't wait to see the ship try to take off. How long til it's done?"_

He knows! _The thought raced through her mind like wild-fire, but she managed to keep a straight face. "The plans are all done, and the engineers had most of the work done before I gave them the finishing touches. All that's left to make is the hull, and they have all the pieces made already. They just have to install it. Two days, maybe?"_

_"Neat. I imagine Rufus will want to throw a celebration when it's up and running. All kinds of fireworks. I won't be riding in it, though. Air travel doesn't agree with me. Anyway, thanks for the help. We'll get our culprit."_

Shera grumbled absently to herself as she turned the flashlight to expose the power control box, which looked fairly ordinary. It was meant to fool any potential saboteurs, make them think that this wasn't the main power control station. In the room she had just passed, a room with the lights on no less, there had been a large station marked 'POWER CONTROL', covered in dials and knobs and switches, but she knew better. Trying to fiddle with that would just alert security.

She glanced around in the darkness, and saw a security camera watching her. _Wonderful_. Hopefully the person at the guard station wasn't paying attention. If he wasn't, she could hack into the logs later and erase all information about her ever being there. If not... Well, she was done here anyway.

Walking to the power control box, Shera put down her tool kit, and set the flashlight down to shine on the grey rectangle on the wall. She opened up the kit, and after a little searching, she found the two-handed wire cutters that she'd need. Only Cid would be able to stash a tool so large into a box this small in such a way that it'd be nearly impossible to find. She'd always had to clean up his little messes in the past, but now... she hadn't the heart to try to tidy of his tool kit.

Taking the wire cutters up, she stood, and then froze. A large man was standing in the doorway she had just come from. It was shadowy, and she couldn't make out his features, but she knew right away she was in trouble. His eyes were softly glowing green.

"Wh-who are you?" she stammered.

The figured shifted, stepping out of the doorway. She quickly bent over and grabbed her flashlight, shining it in his face. The man had a square jaw, and his black hair was cut short. He was large, heavily muscled, and at one of his sides was a sword, the other a dagger.

"Ivon Trask, Ms. Cole," he said, a sneer on his face. "The Professor knows of your attempts to sabotage us. We want to know why."

_Professor?_ she thought, not knowing what he meant.

"I... I'm on orders," she said.

"Orders? Whose orders? No files were put through. We know this attempt is some sad way of avenging your former lover. The Professor anticipated some sort of sabotage attempt from you for some while after reviewing your psychological profile. But why the power?"

She answered him by throwing the flashlight directly at him. It spun through the air, end over end, but abruptly his sword was out of its sheathe, and the projectile fell to the floor in two pieces. But Shera was already moving. She didn't know why Reno really wanted the power shut off, but now she knew it was important that she had to do it. She raced to the box, and spotting the main wire coming out of it, reached out with the wire-cutters and clamped down on it. The wire came free right away, sparks flying from it.

Turning about, Shera took up the wire-cutters and flung them at the Soldier coming at her, who was walking slowly, as if she didn't warrant rushing. The man coldly slapped aside the object with his sword, and with one motion, sheathed the weapon, drawing his dagger with his other hand, a sadistic smile coming across his face.

Panicking, she put her hands into her pockets, and managed to pull out a pair of safety gloves she had secured before coming down here. Hurriedly pulling them on, she saw the man's smile turn into a sneer once more.

"I am a Soldier, _woman_," Trask said. "Not a dish to be cleaned. What will you do with those?"

"This!" she said, yanking the sparking wire from its secure holding on the wall. Using her momentum from tearing the hissing weapon from the wall, she rushed forward. The man managed to slash her arm as she came into range, but it was too late now. The wire connected solidly with his chest, and Trask jolted as several thousand volts of Mako-induced electricity were fed into his body. Shera closed her eyes, and listened to the man try to scream, and to the sound of burning flesh and sizzling hair.

Finally, when she could stand it no longer, she pulled back, letting the wire come away from the Soldier's chest. The man collapsed instantly. She turned away as she opened her eyes, refusing to look at the sight of the dead man. Killing him wasn't something she was proud of.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

She bent to pick up her tool kit, hurriedly closing it. If Trask had known she was down here, then others would. She had to get out of there quickly if she was to have any chance of making it out at all.

"Not nearly sorry enough," Trask's voice said from behind her.

Shera felt her spine stiffen as she realized that she had not, in fact, killed the man, and felt a rough hand grab her neck from behind, and a sharp pain enter her back. The tool kit, Cid's tool kit, fell to the floor, making a mess everywhere.

_So fitting_, she thought, shock filling her system. _I'll have to clean that up. I always have to clean up Cid's messes._

And she realized she would have to clean up that puddle on the floor, too. _Always having to clean up after Cid... my dear Cid..._

Author's Notes:

I'm breaking the rotation. Up next is Reno. (And, incidently, this chapter took me 45 minutes to write, heh)


	36. Run

Reeve: So, Tyramir broke the rotation. Just for you.

Reno: Yai!

Reeve: You do know this isn't cause to celebrate, right?

Reno: Yai!

Reeve: Shera could be dead, you know.

Reno: Yai...! I mean... ah... crap. I... uh... but... me... and I... chapter... Yai!

Reeve: You selfish bastard. Anyway, Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Thirty Six

Run

Reno straightened his jacket one more time and checked his shirt. Everything was tidy about him for a change. His clothes, his hair, hell, his shoes were even polished. Just like Rufus had ordered. Reno twisted his mouth in distaste, and hoped that megalomaniac would get his in the end. Sure, no more pay for Reno, but he had enough stashed to keep him steadily drunk for the rest of his life. Shinra could go screw itself. This company sucked.

Opening the door to Reeve's office, Reno let himself in. The secretary normally would have tried to stop him, but he just winked at her and blew a kiss, and she blushed, reminded of their little romp the week previous.

Inside, Hojo sat at Reeve's desk, flipping through some files. Reno had never liked Hojo. In fact, no one ever really had. The man was cruel, sadistic, and, as Reno liked to call him, barking mad. The world had been made a better place when Vincent Valentine and Red XIII had torn this man to pieces in the Sister Ray's control room.

"What do you want?" Hojo asked, not even looking up from the papers on his desk.

_You're just here for an alibi,_ Reno reminded himself. _No need to be a hero. If you kill this son of a bitch, pump a few bullets into him like he deserves, security'll be all over this place, and I'll be dead. Just gotta wait him out, wait for Rufus to get back..._

"I'm here to deliver my response to your Soldier candidates for the Turks."

Hojo glanced up, an amused smile on his face. "And?"

Walking up to Reeve's desk, Reno leaned over, putting his hands on the desk, looking the madman directly in the eyes, and said, "No."

"No?" the imposted said, confused.

"No. Not happening. Amount of people you suggested on my team that're getting on it? Zero. Are you getting any of this? Turk policy says _I_ choose my team. All three people underneath me."

"But you have two spots open," Hojo argued, and Reno inwardly smiled. So he really didn't know about Yuffie after all. Hojo continued, "And I haven't seen you do anything to fill them. We here at Shinra expect results, not your laziness. I provided a list of experienced people to fill your positions. All of them veterans."

"Let's see..." Reno said. "Out of those suggestions, you gave me a mass murdering psycho, a man who so strictly follows protocol he can't even think for himself, a man that's blind in one eye, and a jerk who's so stupid he can't even form a coherent sentence."

"I gave you one other," Hojo said.

Dramatically sighing, the Turk responded, "Oh yeah. Ivon Trask. Now _there's_ a Turk candidate. Strong, intelligent, fast, a damn good shot, a war record second only to Sephiroth, a glowing physical report by Professor... oh shoot, I forgot his name. Never really paid much attention to the science geeks. Eh, he wasn't important anyway. Heard he was just the shadow of some guy named Gast."

Hojo's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he stood up slowly. "You're referring to one of the more brilliant minds of our time, Professor Hojo."

"Yeah, that's him! Never could remember his name. Oh well. Insane guy. Never liked him anyway. Heard this 'Professor Gogo' guy got killed by a former Turk, Vincent Valentine. Real legend, him. Now there's a name that's going to be remembered."

"Is there a point to this?"

_Other than pissing you off? No._ Instead, what came out of his mouth was, "Yeah. Trask. Seems to have a perfect record and all that. Ideal candidate for a member of my team. I'd take him, but... just one problem with him."

"Oh?"

"His record's classified. Not even Turk Commander clearance is good enough to get at this guy, and for a regular Soldier, that's weird. I've only seen that on one other file, and that was Sephiroth. So, that leads me to believe that this guy's dangerous, maybe almost as dangerous as Sephiroth himself. So, til I see that file, I can't take him, sorry."

_Take that, you lunatic. _

A smile crept up on Hojo's lips, and the man reached down to his deck and picked up a folder, and handed it across the table to Reno. "You'll find all of Trask's classified information in there. You'll find it's all very straight forward, save a few special enhancements he's been given."

Reno managed to keep his face straight as he took the folder, but inside he wanted to shout for joy. This was what he had wanted. Trask's file, to figure out what was so special about this guy that Hojo wanted him as a Turk. That, and Reno wanted to keep an eye on the Soldier, even to go so far as to make him a member just so he could monitor his movements.

"Of course," Hojo said, "You'll want to see Trask perform, correct?"

Reno glanced up the file in his hands that he'd been staring at. Frowning, he answered, "Sure. I mean, let's see what the guy can do."

"Excellent. It just so how happens, he's about to deal with a saboteur." Hojo produced a remote control from one of his pockets and clicked a button, pointing it at a wall. A section opened up, and a television screen came forth. It flickered on, showing a streaming video shot from a security camera. A large man was standing in a doorway to a room with a lot of electrical conduits. It was dark, and it looked like it was in... Reno squinted, and saw the words 'Underwater Reactor' on the screen.

_Shera. That son of a bitch knows about Shera._ Cold sweat slid down Reno's brow, but he tried to make himself look interested. _I have to get down there. Turn this clusterfuck around before someone gets killed._

"This video sucks," Reno said. "I can't see shit. Think there's time for me to run down there and watch it in person?"

"I highly doubt that," Hojo responded. "Trask is very quick and efficient. He'll deal with the target in a matter of minutes."

Shrugging, Reno tucked the file into his belt. "I've always been quick on my feet."

And with that, he turned and bolted out the door, showing Hojo that he was, in fact, very quick on his feet. Reno possessed a runner's build, scrawny yet muscled, able to put power into his long legs at a moment's notice and sprint unbelievably fast.

He had to run. Get to Trask. Get to Shera. Stop what was going to happen. He glanced at the elevator and shook his head to himself. That wasn't going to happen. If Shera cut the power, he'd be stuck. Instead, he flew down the stairs, taking them two at at time, and when he was halfway down, he jumped the case, pushed off the wall, and raced down the next flight.

He didn't care if Hojo thought it suspicious that he was running down to see this, no, to stop this. He was the Commander now, and he was responsible. There were four Turks right now, whether Hojo knew it or not, and Shera was the fourth as soon as Reno had brought her into this and told her to cut the power. She was his responsibility.

_I fucking hate responsibility!_

Reno glanced at a wall as he raced down and saw the door to the main lobby. He crashed through it as he leaped from the stairs, immediately back into a run as he flung himself forward and into the next set of doors leading to the street.

He was already starting to feel tired, and he inwardly promised himself to quit smoking once he saved Shera from Trask. Halfway down the street to the entrance to the Underwater Reactor, Reno threw off his jacket, losing some of the wind resistance with it.

_Run! Run, you idiot! You're not gonna get her killed!_

His legs pumped faster, and Reno knew that if he were in some kind of marathon, he would have left all the other runners trailing in his wake. People on the street gave him odd looks as they saw the Turk bolting through their midst.

The tunnel leading to the Reactor appeared in his line of vision and disappeared almost as quickly as he raced inside, slowing only for a tenth of a second as he slammed his body into the door to the Reactor entrance. Inside was a platform elevator, but he didn't even bother with it. He ran onto the platform, and in a move of sheer foolishness that only Reno could accomplish, he dove off.

For a second, all that was between him and the floor some twenty levels down was a whole lot of air, and an elevator cable dangling to his side. Driving both his feet into a wall, and crying out in pain, he was sent towards the cable. Grabbing onto it, he slid down gracelessly. His hands burned as the wire cut into his palms, and it only slowed his descent down somewhat. Some twenty floors later, Reno crashed to the floor. He grunted. Kicking off the wall had probably sprained his ankle. Landing as he had didn't help either. Regardless, he stood up and limped as quickly as he could down the hall to the power room. He was barely concious of the lights turning off abruptly, trying to keep his mind off the pain in his legs.

Right after, the emergency lights came on, and Reno found himself just twenty feet away from the door to the power supply room. Pulling out his 'mag-rod, the Turk telescoped it out and staggered into the room.

Only to find Trask standing in the doorway, as if to leave. But the man saw the Turk, and looked at him oddly.

"What're you doing here?" the Soldier said.

"Reeve sent me down. Said you were dealing with a saboteur. I figured I'd watch, see if you're cut out to be a Turk."

The man snorted, and stepped into the light. His black hair was standing on end, and a few streams of blood coming from his nostrils and ears had caked to his skin. A large hole was blasted in his shirt, and a black spot marred his chest. "The woman is quite dead. You missed the show. Too bad. She put up a fight. I like it when they fight back."

Reno was barely aware of the man as he staggered past him and into the power supply room. Inside, the emergency lights were just flickering to life, and on the floor was Shera's dead body, a pool of blood surrounding her.

He collapsed to his knees. He didn't care if Trask saw him. Didn't care at all. He was too late. And what was it all for? Shera dead, because of him, and for what? Reeve. The real Reeve. Was his freedom worth this? Was his life worth this?

_Yuffie, you better not fuck this up._


	37. Extraction

Author's Notes:

Yes, that's right. I have a habit of killing characters. Funny, too, considering I don't own them, heh. Oh, and as of last chapter, PE is longer than SFtPO. Oh, and before I start, am I seriously only at three readers, or does everyone else just _never_ review? I'll keep going regardless, but I need to feel appreciated every once in a while. : P

Chapter Thirty Seven

Extraction

Yuffie looked up at the air duct and sighed. She didn't want to do this. Those ducts smelled _awful_. And they were just a huge maze. And this wasn't even the right type of duct. This was one for air conditioning. But if she went through this and cut a hole in the panelling at such and such a place that Reno had told her about, she'd be able to get into the the Mako vents, and from there, follow the directions laid out to her to get to the cell.

"You ready for this?" Elena asked, the woman at her side, but looking around anxiously.

"Sure," Yuffie said with mock bravado. She had run the plan through her head a million times, but still she felt nervous. There was no real reason to. It was simple. Go through the tunnels, find the jail cell, wait for Shera to cut the power, go into the room, dispose of the guards, free Cait Sith, and then escape. With Shera turning off the lights, and the little bag of surprises Reno had supplied to her which was now slung over her shoulder, this should be a stroll along Da Chao.

So why was she so nervous?

"Do this right, and Reno might notice," Elena said, and Yuffie nearly jumped.

"You think so?" the girl asked, surprised that Elena had quickly discovered what she herself had been unsure of. "Do you really think he'd ever like someone like me?"

The blond Turk answered truthfully, "No, but Reno's been known to surprise everyone with random bouts of intelligence from time to time."

Yuffie smiled, and Elena hoisted her up into the duct. The Wutaian girl waved to her fellow Turk, who put the grate back in place, waved, and then went about her business. She'd have to make herself an alibi, too, albeit not as obvious a one as Reno was making for himself.

But that wasn't Yuffie's problem. She had fifteen minutes to get to the cell by her estimate before Shera pulled the plug on the power. The ninja snorted. That would hardly be a problem at all. It was just the problem of dealing with eight Shinra guards once she got into the room with the cell that was the problem. Elena had suggested gas cannisters, but Reno had waved the idea aside. Too easily traced. Hojo would find out where they came from and from there figure out who used them. No, they'd need something more common to deal with the guards.

Yuffie thought about all this as she made her way through the small ducts, remembering her brilliant suggestion, which was now resting in her bag. If luck was on her side, this would be unbelievably simple. She grunted at that thought. Luck? There was no luck about the great ninja Yuffie. She was all skill. She didn't need luck.

She took a left in the tunnel, and saw a small knob hanging down from the ceiling. According to Reno, that was some sort of power supply, meant to revitalize any recon bots put into the ducts. Those bots had been how he was able to find her last time she was fooling around in the ducts. She almost smashed it as she crawled by it, but grumbled upon realizing that those same recon bots were now at _her_ disposal. Breaking the power supply would just hurt herself in the long run, and probably come out of her pay.

It was her only landmark anyway. She crawled another seven feet, and then turned to the panel on her lefthand side and produced a Fire Materia from her pocket. Focusing on the small orb, it glowed brightly, then faded. No fire came forth, not even any heat. That was odd.

She tried again, and once more failed. This wasn't right. Materia not working? For _her_? She'd heard of complete amateurs messing up using a Materia, but never a professional! No one used Materia like Yuffie Kisaragi. No one! So why had she failed?

She must still be thinking of Reno. She pushed the thought away, and tried using the Materia again, but it produced the same feeble results.

_Maybe it's broken?_

The thought seemed preposterous, but she had to concede it. It most certainly wasn't user error. So unless Shinra had newly discovered some sort of Materia dampening technology and applied it to their air conditioning system, that seemed the only reasonable answer.

Rolling her eyes, she pulled out an Ice Materia and tried it on the panel, freezing it completely. Well, that worked. She focused once more on the Ice Materia, and froze the steel plate as cold as it could go, then put the Materia away. Pulling back her fist, she slammed it into the iced over steel as hard as she could, shattering it. She would have shouted for joy if hitting it hadn't hurt so much.

She yelped in pain, and looked at her fist, which had been bloodied from the impact. Wiping it off on her Turk pants, she crawled forward, carefully making her way over the shards. She counted off 12 feet, then stopped, and saw a black grate to her side. She looked out, and outside of it was a small room with a table. Five guards sat at it, playing poker. To the back of the room was a jail cell with a small cat-like doll sprawled out on a bed. In front of the door were two guards.

Where was the last man? There were supposed to be eight. Shrugging, she waited for the lights to be turned off, absently taking out a piece of Materia and polishing it on her shirt. She was in that duct for about ten minutes before a wave of Mako fumes hit her, regulating through the tunnel. She nearly choked, but managed to keep it in, knowing the guards would hear her if she did. When the fumes passed, she let out a relieved breath.

As soon as she did, the lights went out. She instantly kicked out the grate, sending it flying in the direction of the table in the room. Jumping out quickly, she rolled to the side as guards burst into movement, trying to figure out what had happened. The emergency lights flickered on for a second, but Yuffie was ready for them. She held up a green orb, and a Flare spell hit it, instantly destroying the light source. The guards, disoriented and panicked, desperately called out. Another second later, red lights turned on from the face-guards of each mask the guards were wearing. Shinra nightvision goggles. All the Shinra guards were required to wear them. They instantly powered on when there was no more light in the room, but had to be manually turned off. And, if they were suddenly exposed to bright light, they tended to absorb the light and temporarily blind whoever was wearing the mask.

Reaching into her bag, Yuffie pulled out a flare and ignited it. She tossed the burning brand at the nearest group of guards, and quickly pulled another out, igniting that, and sending it at the door to the cell. Men yelled as their sight was taken from them, their night vision shorting out in an electrical surge in front of their eyes.

"Cait!" she called. "Get down!"

Through the light of the flares she scattered around the room with one hand, she saw the cat jump off his bed and climb underneath his bed, then, as an afterthought, push it over to use it from a shield. With her left hand, Yuffie held up the Contain Materia in her hand, and once more the Flare spell erupted, slamming the bars of the cell in a flash of red and white light. The front part of the cell, and even part of the ceiling, disappeared and Yuffie heard Cait yell, "Holy!"

As soon as the debris settled, Cait Sith came scrambling out of his hiding place and ran to the ninja, dodging blind guards who were trying to grope their way around the room, some of whom had managed to remove their masks, but were still unable to see.

"Get in the bag!" she hissed at the cat, holding it out for him, and putting her Contain Materia inside it.

Cait gave her an indignant look, and then jumped in. Yuffie didn't waste any time in slinging the sack over her shoulder, and jumping onto the table, and from there into the shaft. She made a large bang as she did, and one Shinra guard managed to figure out where the sound had come from and fired off his weapon a few times.

Yuffie didn't look back, but she saw a green light, followed by a powerful blast of wind that rushed behind her, howling its fury. Cait must have used her Contain Materia that she had put in the bag with him to cast a Tornado spell at the guards. She smiled, and hauled herself up into the Mako vent.

"What are you doing here?" Cait Sith asked. "And why are you wearing a Turk uniform? Did you steal it or something? You know what they'll do to you when they find out, right?"

"Long story," the ninja said, remembering Cloud's similar reaction. She grit her teeth, and continued onward, away from the cell and to escape.


	38. First Offensive

Author's Note:

Reeve: I'm free! Freedom!

Reno: Yeah, about that... you owe me, Elena, and Yuffie standard Turk pay in procuring you said freedom.

Reeve: Say what?

Reno: Don't worry, it's cool. It'll just come out of your paycheck.

Reeve: But the three of you combined make more than I do!

Reno: Well then, I guess you'll just have to work overtime.

Reeve: Son of a ... ! Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters. sigh I really hate that bastard.

Chapter Thirty Eight

First Offensive

Rude wasn't sure about his command of the Red Wings right from the beginning. He had never been a leader. Always more of a follower, a backup to Tseng's diplomacy, flexing his muscles and looking intimidating, always keeping quiet. That was the way it had worked. Tseng was the voice, Reno was the brains, as surprising as that was, Rude was the muscle, and Elena was the glue that held it all together.

It was with that in mind that Rude clasped his hands behind his back a lot like the way Tseng used to, and assumed what he hoped was a friendly smile, one that he'd see on Reno's face. His sunglasses were off. He didn't want to hide his eyes from the people. They had to see them, know that he wasn't hiding, wasn't afraid.

For some reason, his amber eyes and off smile seemed to make the teenagers that made up the Red Wings even more nervous. Tifa stood off to the side, an obvious smile on her face. She was suppressing the urge to laugh, that was certain. He nearly threw up his hands in disgust right there and walked away from the task assigned to him. Instead, he glanced at the meager supplies they had. Old swords, a few spears, some knives, and the most important thing to Rude, a length of rope, which was secorely tied to a large stalactite-like rock that reached from the ceiling and connected to the floor, giving it a natural pillar appearance.

But he knew he couldn't. Just moments before he and Tifa had escaped from the White Scourge and into the safety of Fort Condor. But now that safety was threatened, the army of albinos preparing for a charge against the walls of the fort. They had to stand and fight, and the only way to do that was to quickly train a pack of teenagers in the art of warfare.

"I don't have time to train you," he said. "You've seen battle before, you'll see it again. All I can do right now is tell you to hold the line, and kill any of the Scourge that you can. Keep your distance, and use the spears where you can to push them away. Swords are for the up close stuff."

The children seemed to understand, and all murmured their understanding and armed themselves. Tifa walked up to Rude and asked, "Do you think they're ready?"

"No," he said simply, and went to retrieve the largest rock he could find that was carriable. There was a large supply of rubble on hand from the caving in of the entrances that had been brought up to be used as primitive weaponry. Rude never pictured the day when he'd have to use big rocks as weaponry. He'd always been offered the latest and greatest toys Shinra could offer in the past, but in the end, he'd always relied on his own fists and a standard issue Turk pistol, which was neatly tucked away in a breast holster. Only sixteen shots in it, plus a spare clip. He'd have to make those count. At best, he'd kill thirty two enemies.

Picking up the biggest rock he could find, one the size of his torso that had probably taken two men to carry, Rude tensed himself and heaved the rock up and carried it to the hole in the cave wall that served as a window. He placed it down, and looked outside, to see hundreds - no, _thousands_ - of albino soldiers milling about the base of the mountain that Fort Condor sat upon. He squinted, and took in the sight of the enemy, looking for a leader. And there, down below, he saw three figures, larger than the other albinos. The common soldiers gave them a wide berth, moving aside as they approached the base of the mountain.

Rude pointed at them, and gave a boy beside him, who looked roughly seventeen and appeared to be the leader of the Red Wings, a questioning look.

"Those are the Triad," the boy said. "Takkin figures they lead the White Scourge. They usually come to the other side of the mountain, the side the mercenaries and older people are guarding, because that one's easier to take. Not as steep."

Tifa, who had been listening, moved in close and looked out the window. "The Triad? Did you give them that name?"

He shook his head. "They introduce themselves every night, and ask for our surrender. They're all really good fighters. They always make it to the top of the mountain, all three of them, kill a few people, and then when their underlings die, they retreat. No one's even managed to wound them. Some people are starting to whisper that they're immortal."

Rude frowned, and looked down at the three, taking them in. Two men, one female. The lead male was average height, average build, apparently unremarkable save for his dead white skin and hair. The woman was short like the rest of the White Scourge, and thin, but the way she moved suggested a dancer, an amazing grace to her body that was pronounced with every step. The man that trailed behind them was massive, standing almost seven feet tall, and covered in muscle.

Tifa had moved away from him and was talking to some of the younger Red Wings. He absently listened as he planned. "It's okay to be afraid... I know you've never had to really fight, and-"

"The Triad are coming up this side tonight! They'll kill us all for sure!" one boy yelled, having seen the three at the bottom.

"No, they won't," Tifa said. "They might be good warriors, but I'm better."

"But you're just a girl! And you've got no weapons!"

Tifa laughed, and Rude smiled and turned from the sight of the enemy to look at the woman who had so captured his heart. The woman dropped into a crouched fighting stance, and made a few mock punches, followed by a couple low kicks.

"I can fight," she said. "Better than any man here. I've even gone against the legendary Sephiroth, and I'm still alive."

That earned a few gasps. Sephiroth would forever be remembered as both a hero and a villain, but always as a warrior incarnate. To say that you'd fought him and were still alive put you on a level just below him, sitting alongside legendary fighters like Lord Godo, or Dio.

A voice bellowed, echoing along the mountainside, and into the cavern that the Red Wings stood, breaking Tifa's little conference and inspiring terror in the children.

"We are the Triad! We are the three clawed talons of the Tali Hishna! We are the strength of its mighty hand! Ever have we seen battle, and never have we lost! Behold us, and tremble!" the male voice yelled. "We come for your fortress once more, as we have the past five nights! We will take it tonight, and make it ours! Surrender or perish!"

Rude looked to the teenagers, who were obviously terrified, and then out the window, to see the lead male, two swords drawn and held above his head, staring defiantly up into the face of Fort Condor.

Rude decided then and there that he had to set an example, an act of defiance and bravery to bolster his troops. He had no time to train them today, but tomorrow was another day. For now, he just needed to fire them up. Taking up a rock the size of his fist, the Turk looked out the window and calmly yelled out, "Can you die?"

The leader looked up at him, obviously confused by the question. The large male pushed him aside and yelled in response, "We are the Triad! Nothing can kill us! Not the magics of Cetra or the steel of men!"

That was all Rude needed. A simple response to his question. Squinting against the darkness, he took careful aim and threw his fist-sized rock as hard as he could. The projectile sped through the air and connected solidly with its target, the giant's throat, crushing his larynx. The albino clutched at its neck, gasping for air, but found it could not breathe. With a thunderous crash, the giant fell face forward and into the ground.

Silence.

Nothing moved, nothing made a sound, save the choking and gasping member of the Triad.

And then a voice issued, as Tifa mockingly yelled, "What do you know? Immortals can die!"

A vast groan swept through the army of the White Scourge as their spirits collectively broke, seeing one of their three champions fall under nothing greater than a fist-sized rock. And the sound that issued from Fort Condor disheartened them even more.

From the mouths of every single member of the Red Wings came the sound of laughter and cheers.

The resulting attack that came forth in retaliation of their fallen was half-hearted at best, the fanatical edge of the White Scourge lost as they attempted to scale the mountainside. The albinos scaled the cliff side easily, climbing up it as if they were part spider, moving almost as quickly moving straight up as they would walking forward. Rude stared for a moment, not entirely believing the swift climb we was seeing. Shaking himself out of it, the Turk leaned over and picked up the large rock he had put aside earlier. He picked it up, and then with all his strength, extended both his arms fully above his head. Sweat beaded down his forehead from the effort, but he clamped his jaw and waited. All about, members of the Red Wings glanced from the incoming enemy and looked to their new leader, awe covering their faces.

"Pay attention!" he snapped, and they all stopped looking and readied their spears against the incoming enemy.

When the first of the White Scourge nearly made it to the top, Rude threw his small boulder down as hard as he could, crushing the soldier. The man fell with the boulder, and the two projectiles separated, knocking several of the White Scourge from the cliff face as they fell.

The fight didn't last long. The enemy's will wasn't behind the attack. They were afraid. The unkillable had been killed, and the remaining two members of the Triad hadn't followed. Their morale was an utter ruin. Falling before spears and rocks and swords, the White Scourge were beaten back.

Dozens of their number were slain before an order for retreat sounded in the form of a horn blow. Those still on the cliff side climbed down, while those at the top fought on - or tried to - and were merely pushed off the edge with long spears.

"Good job, Red Wings!" Tifa said. "We won a great victory today!"

"We're not done yet," Rude responded.

"What-?" she started to ask, but she saw Rude grabbing the rope he had tied to the salagmite earlier, uncoiling it. "Are you...? Rude, don't you dare!"

He ignored her, realizing what he had to do. The enemy's spirit was wounded, but not broken. Running for the window, Rude leaped out, rope tied about his hands.

For a moment, all there was between him and the ground was open air. The Turk swung through the night air, and jolted as the rope's length played out, coming to a sudden stop little more than twenty feet from the ground.

Spears were cast at him from albinos on the ground, and Rude dropped from the rope, landing solidly on the ground. Instantly four albinos were on him, swinging weapons, trying to kill the murderer of one of their leaders.

Ducking and weaving, Rude danced about their weapons, avoiding hits. But he couldn't find an opening to counter attack, not without taking a hit. So he kept dodging, content to stay on the defensive until he could find a way to hit an opponent.

Abruptly, one of his attackers fell, struck down by someone. Rude cast a glance over and saw Tifa, who had probably slid down the rope after him. He frowned, but realized he did need the help. Between the two of them, the White Scourge fell quickly.

"What's this about?" Tifa asked.

"Winning the day," he answered. "We have to break them as much as possible. Kill who we can."

She looked a little shocked at that, and seemed to think about it for a moment, and then nodded. "Whoever we kill now won't be able to come after us later."

He nodded, and then motioning for her to follow, sprinted after the fleeing Scourge.

The work they did was brutal and efficient. They brought down whoever they could, any way they could. A rock thrown from behind, Rude's Grand Spark, small Materia attacks by Tifa. Lightning, Fire and Ice seemed not to be working, but Earth and Summon spells still did. Between the two of them, they killed just as many albinos as did the Red Wings had during the small battle. When there were no more fleeing enemies left, they began to turn back towards Fort Condor, when they heard a horn blow. Rude turned back to see the two remaining members of the Triad roughly fifty feet away. The woman stood unarmed, and the man had his two swords drawn, his arms crossed in front of him.

The woman bowed, and the man raised his swords in salute, a gesture of respect.

Rude thought about his response, and the thought that came to him was an odd one, but one he fully embraced.

_What would Reno do in my situation?_

And with that, Rude flipped both of them the bird and walked back to Fort Condor.

Author's Note:

I hated writing the beginning of that chapter. I was stuck on it for so long. I didn't get motivation to go on until I introduced the Triad, in which case, I just blazed ahead. And no, the Triad are not the Yenta Pree. The Tali Hishna just like the number three.


	39. Death

Author's Note:

Sorry, still don't own FF. Final Trinity is coming.

Chapter Thirty Nine

Death

For the first time, the Tali Hishna dared to make the attempt to breach Cosmo Canyon's walls. The attack came at dusk, before full night, and was completely unexpected. The enemy force threw itself at the defenses, heedless of casualties, a group of fanatics scrambling over rock and rubble, climbing to the walls and making their way up using grappling hooks with ease. The defenders, caught unprepared, were immediately pushed back, and heavy losses were taken. Worse, their force was weakened from Nanaki taking out a small force of fifty men out to scout the region for where the White Scourge may be hiding. Cosmo Canyon's soldiers were pushed from the walls immediately.

Vincent, who had been meditating at the Cosmo Candle, heard the attack and grabbing Masamune, which had been laying on the ground, he launched himself into the air, his demonic wings beginning to glow with an eery blue light, the scales of them flickering and glimmering. Flying at his enemies, he attacked the Tali Hishna with a ferocity unparalleled even in the enemy's fanatical zeal, hacking through waves of attackers. The White Scourge flinched back at the attack, retreating from those awful glowing wings, fearful of the light, and of Masamune's deadly blade.

Still, Vincent could not be everywhere at once, and the enemy flowed around him, pouring into the Canyon proper. The ex-Turk fought on, desperate to keep the enemy away from the refugees. He soon found that his fears were unwarranted.

Barret, hammer in hand, alongside a sword-wielding Dio charged from the encampment of refugees and bringing a small army of people brandishing torches, clubs and tools. The people of Corel and Gold Saucer would not go down without a fight. The battle quickly turned from a rout to an actual fight as the two forces collided. Even so, the Tali Hishna outnumbered the militia of refugees, and ignored injuries and wounds as they fought, driven on by a divine right to destroy their enemies.

Sweat streamed down Vincent's chest, arms and wings as he flew about, attacking the enemy from above and riddling their numbers with fatalities. Piles of ash and bodies on both sides began to build up, and the former Turk felt almost helpless. Despite all his efforts, it wasn't enough.

_I've changed..._ Vincent realized with startling clarity.

Before, he hadn't care a whit if innocent bystanders lived or died. He had been a Turk, and a good one at that. More than likely, he was still held up as a model of what a Turk should be. Cold, dispassionate, and ruthless. Now? He seemed to actually care what happened to these people, cared that they were dying. When had that happened? Was it a part of his transformation? During his travels alongside heroes like Cloud and Barret and Tifa, people who were passionate about life, living, and protecting others? Or had it begun with Lucrecia? With his feelings for her, and his subsequent betrayal of Shinra, attempting to thwart her experiment?

As he slashed through another rank of enemies, he thought about it absently. Had Lucrecia, his near murderer, been a positive influence on him in some way?

An amused smile played on his lips, even as he fought on. It was true. The woman who had nearly destroyed him had given him the chance to live and care about life. The irony of it nearly made him laugh in the face of death, but his stoic nature overcame it, and focused more on the battle. But even as he continued his deadly dance, he thought more about his change.

Lucrecia had brought on the first stirrings of his change, yes. His failure to stop hers and Hojo's abomination of a son had helped nurish that. The coffin that he'd be trapped in, putting him in suspended animation and letting him sleep between the ages had been the womb. Nightmares of guilt and conscience wounded, that had been that wretched coffin. And when he had stepped out of it? What had precipitated it all? Was it truly Avalanche's heroics? No, he had initially joined them for revenge, and the possibility of encountering Lucrecia Hargun once more.

So what had really brought on his sudden caring for people he didn't even know?

He lunged at an enemy, the point of the sword coming down, to impale the albino through the back. Shock gripped him as he realized what he'd done, and he nearly cast the sword aside in absolute disgust. That was it! That exact same move that Sephiroth had done to Aeris so ... long... ago...

... That was it. Her death, the death of a valued companion. The death of a friend. Even if she was alive now, her falling to Masamune, the blade he now wielded, had forced him to make a moral choice and join the human race, and not the vile race he had become, a race that could be best described in one, soulless name.

Shinra.

He looked up, and saw then in the darkness a beacon of fiery orange light, and there, coming from outside the walls was Red XIII, returned with the scouting party he had gone out with earlier. The red beast flung himself through the gates that the Tali Hishna had opened for their reinforcements. Now that very mark of strategical brilliance backfired on them as fifty prepared soldiers led by a beast that had been born and bred to combat such threats as these.

Forced to fight on two fronts, with the demonic Vincent swooping in and decimating their center, the Tali Hishna lines broke, the fanatical edge gone from the finely honed blade that was their army. Their soldiers panicked and retreated, trying desperately to go around Red XIII's force and out into the canyon, but it was too late. The battle was now a rout, and within minutes, the Tali Hishna were killed to the last man.

When it was finished, Vincent flew down and landed alongside Barret, who was nursing a wounded arm. Dio was beside him, a nasty cut on his chest, but he seemed excited.

"Now that was a battle!" the leader of Gold Saucer declared. "That force easily numbered two thousand, and all of them dead!"

Vincent snorted, and Barret gave Dio a funny look, then shrugged. Red XIII loped up to join them, his tongue lolling out in a almost canine smile. Suddenly, his feline dignity asserted itself, and he sat back on his haunches and rubbed a paw across his scarred face, then said, "How many wounded did we take?"

Dio looked about him, as if just noticing that some of their people had died, and Barret answered, "Too damn early to tell. I'd say we lost 'bout a quarter o' the people from Corel and Gold Saucer, and 'bout half o' the people from Cosmo Canyon."

The feline made a small growl of disgust, and then asked, "How did we lose so many? How did the Scourge even get over the walls in the first place?"

"That dumbass, Dorret," Barret said in disgust. "I asked him to arm my weapon with whatever weapons he could supply. Said he'd get his quartermaster on that right away. Then, when I asked him how my people were supposed to stand watch on the walls, he just shrugged and said 'I guess they can't', then told me 'til they _were_ armed, I couldn't put them on any guard duty. Jackass is determined to be right, trying to say the refugees're useless by goin' out o' his way to _make _'em useless!"

"Of course," Vincent said, "it doesn't help that the guards on duty weren't paying attention. The attack came at dusk, and not full night. The Tali Hishna appear to be getting more bold. They're not as scared of the light as they once were."

Red XIII shook his head, then muttered, "I'll have a talk with the surviving guards. They should be paying at all times, not just when they _think_ the enemy will attack. I'm saddened to see such a sad display from my people."

"There is more that you should be sad about this day!" the booming voice of Elder Dorret said.

The small party turned to face the robed Elder, his peer Frennal following behind. Vincent narrowed his eyes when he saw the blood-stained robe in Dorret's hands. An Elder's robe.

"What has happened?" Vincent and Red XIII said at the same time.

Dorret cast the robe to the ground and said, "Elder Juyan is dead. Killed during the battle."

"Wasn't he inside?" Vincent asked suspiciously.

"He was," the smaller Elder, Frennal, said. "By the Materia storage room. It looks like one of the albinos managed to get inside. We found Juyan's body along with a pile of ash. We suspect he somehow managed to kill the Scourge that killed him."

Red XIII nodded, and said, "A sad day indeed. You will need a third Elder to join your ranks now. Do you have someone in mind?"

A condescending sneer came across Dorret's face, and he answered, "I do indeed. I will name him at the next meeting of the Elders, which will take place tomorrow morning. I will make a public announcement of my nomination for the position."

The Elder turned then and strode away, his lackey Frennal following. Barret spat, and Red XIII sighed.

"A little convenient," Dio said. "Juyan dies, now Dorret gets to choose the third council member. Does he have any more friends like Frennal to put on, people he can push around to voice his opinion and agree with him?"

"Many," Red XIII answered. "I did not believe it to be in Dorret's character to have killed Juyan, though."

"I would. Guy's a jackass," Barret said firmly.

"A jackass, yes," the feline agreed, "but hardly a killer. Although it could just be as Dorret has said. Juyan's death could easily be just the work of one of the Tali Hishna."

"No," Vincent said, putting aside Masamune, picking up the robe and holding it up. "It wasn't one of them. All of the Tali Hishna that I have seen wield swords and axes, sometimes clubs. This wound," he indicated a small hole in the garment, "came from a poinard, a small dagger. It's too small for a sword stroke. Juyan was not killed by one of the Scourge. He was definitely kill by someone else. I'll have to investigate further. I'll look into the site of the body, and tell you what I find."

"In the mean time," Barret said, "I'm puttin' my damn people up on the walls where they can do some good. You with me, Red?"

"I wouldn't be anywhere else."


	40. Madness

Final Trinity is coming. I still don't own FF.

Chapter Fourty

Madness

The helicopters, red lights flashing along their flanks to indicate pursuit, flew over the lines of Rufus' army, landing inside the encampment, a soldier from each hopping out. Rufus tried to keep himself from trembling, more from anticipation than anything else. He'd been frustrated the past few days, an internal battle being waged within him, Shinra versus Cetra, with Rufus himself in the middle. He needed this fight, against whatever it may be, and he needed it now. He almost drew his shotgun and charged over the cars surrounded the permiter of his camp right then, just to find whatever threat awaited him and overcome it. Almost.

"What do you have to report?" he said calmly as his men came close.

One of the men stepped forward, ahead of the others and answered, "A large force. Roughly ten thousand strong, all armed with primitive weaponry."

Ten _thousand_? No one had an army that large! The entire might of Shinra in its full glory had only had half that! "Wutai?" Rufus asked, sounding dubious.

"Negative, sir," the man said. "They're not flying Wutaian colours."

"Disguised, perhaps?" the President mused.

"Doubtful. The Wutaian army has a very strong sense of honour and propriety. They have certain rules in warefare, one of them being to always signify what House they bear arms for. Their are no such standards or flags indicating this."

"Anything else?"

"They all appear to be albinos, sir."

Rufus stood up straight, his eyes widening as he heard the words and let them wash over him. He'd had dreams of these albinos, one where they infected the world and took everything, his future empire included. These were the destroyers of his dreams, he realized. Two words came unbidden to his lips, but he knew not from where. "Tali Hishna."

"What did you say?" Aeris asked.

Shaking his head, he shrugged. "I'm not certain. My head is spinning. I can't seem to think. Tali Hishna, I believe. Does it have any significance for you?"

"A little," Aeris said. "My mother used to tell me stories about them. They're the Cetra equivalent of the Bogey Man. I don't remember much. I thought they were just make believe."

"They were the Cetra's enemies then?" Rufus questioned, intent.

"Yes," she answered. "I think so anyway. I remember my mother telling me to watch out for the 'Children of the Enemy.'"

"The 'Enemy' being Jenova?" he asked, musing over it.

"It could be. It would make sense. Maybe they're Cetra that were infected by Jenova? I never really thought about it much. When I was a child, the stories scared me. As I grew older, though, I left the stories behind with all my other childhood toys."

Rufus nodded, wondering about this enemy. His dreams had warned against them, said that they were a threat, a very real one. The answer then was simple. To the pilots, he said, "Prepare the search lights for your helicopters, and spread the word to prepare for an enemy attack."

Men scrambled about the camp, and Rufus watched it all, a cold smile spreading across his face. No one challenged Shinra. _No one_.

He brought himself up short when he saw the look on Aeris' face. It looked more worried than anything, and he thought to himself, _Why does she look at me like that?_

And then he realized, understanding the answer. _She pities me. _

Why would she pity him, the President of the most powerful organization of the planet? He was intelligent, strong, an excellent general and a good warrior. Why did she pity him? How could she have the _nerve_ to pity him?

_Because you are your father's son,_ came a taunting voice, and Rufus nearly howled in frustration. It was true. Rufus hated that part of himself, but could do little to combat it. It was who he was, and no amount of Cetra DNA could contain it.

He turned from her then, walking away and heading towards the frontlines. Anger was boiling in his blood, and he had to resolve it, had to take it out on something. The incoming enemy would work nicely. But even as he drew his shotgun and double checked to make sure it was loaded, Aeris came up next to him, Princess Guard in her hands. She didn't brandish it so much like a weapon, but more as some sort of magical talisman. Rufus absently wondered if it was.

He said nothing to her, just nodded, and waited.

It didn't take the enemy long to arrive. They poured down the ravine, coming directly at his army, a howling mass of berserker warriors. Instantly a barrage of missiles met them, sent by a series of rocket launchers from the front lines. The enemy centre was devastated, but with amazing efficiency, they closed ranks quickly, filling in the gap.

Rufus smiled. They weren't familiar with modern combat, whoever these people were. The best move to do would be to scatter, give fewer targets. Well, they would learn. The hard way of course, but they would learn.

Machine guns began to blaze as the enemy got closer, and the entire front rank of enemies turned to ash as they were struck. This unnerved the Shinra soldiers, but still they continued to fire. Rufus frowned. He hadn't been expecting them to do that. It gave them a slight advantage. They'd be able to keep charging forward without fear of tripping over the dead bodies of their comrades. Well, he'd have to rectify that.

"Aim for the legs!" he shouted.

Half the soldiers switched their aim lower, blasting away at the lower half of the enemies. Wounded, they fell to the ground, tripping the ranks behind them. Unused to having to deal with such obstacles, the Tali Hishna faltered, their charge losing its momentum.

But still they came on.

"Swordsmen, get ready!"

Members of Soldier, survivors of Jenova's mind control and subsequent war with Avalanche in the ruins of Midgar, stepped forward, all wielding Buster swords.

"Cease fire!" Rufus cried, followed by, "Charge!"

The Soldiers only numbered roughly two hundred, but these were battle-hardened men, trained in the most brutal lessons of war, and subjected to a number of Mako enhancements allowing them no equal in combat. Rufus charged with them, shotgun in one hand, Murasame now openly brandished in the other. To his side was Aeris. He hadn't expected her to follow him directly into combat, and smiled as she did. Perhaps not as violent as her other female Avalanche counterparts, she was still something of a warrior, and would not be left out.

The Soldiers charged directly into the face of the enemy, heedless of danger. As one, their massive swords struck out, cutting down all in their path. The narrow ravine allowed the Soldiers to fight the army many times their own size with great efficiency, the Tali Hishna unable to flank their opponents, and only able to attack with a small portion of their force.

Rufus was at the forefront, Aeris guarding his back. Murasame was used to parry any attacks that came his way, while his shotgun would blast out, killing albinos with deadly efficiency. Occasionally he allowed his own swordplay to do the fighting instead of the long-ranged weapon, but not often. All the while, Aeris made sure no enemies came at him from behind.

The battle raged for almost twenty minutes before Rufus backed up, putting his shotgun away and retrieving a radio from his pocket. He fought on with his sword, even while shouting orders into the radio.

"Get those two helicopters out here! We need some cover fire from the air, and be sure to use the spotlights! But don't shoot whoever you shine the light on!"

Somewhere inside he knew the light would hurt them, panic the enemy into a retreat. Moments later, as the helicopters flew overhead, shining their search lights down on the enemy, a collective gasp arose from the Tali Hishna, and they began to scramble away from that awful light, some even ducking down and covering their heads. At that moment, it was a simple matter for the Soldiers to cut down the enemy in their path, forcing the Tali Hishna into a retreat.

And as they did, Rufus raised his sword and gave a primal scream, yelling his defiance at them. "I am Shinra! You cannot defeat me!"

And all the while, Aeris watched him with pity in her eyes.


	41. Hiding In A Bottle

Author's Notes:

Yes, I purposely skipped Cloud, and for story reasons, I'm going to skip him for a little while longer. Trust me, not much is going on with him right now. Any chapter with him in it would be three paragraphs long, tops. But don't worry I haven't forgotten him. I don't own Final Fantasy. Final Trinity is coming.

Chapter Fourty One

Hiding In A Bottle

Reno leaned back in his chair, watching a television screen, a bottle of half empty brandy in his hands. A package of cigarettes had been thrown across the room, and several small scorch marks surrounded it from where he'd previously attempted to shoot them with his 'mag-rod, but had missed every single time. He'd finally given up in frustration, and thrown the weapon to the other side of the room, somehow miraculously making it land in a garbage can.

He'd been alone for nearly a full day now, and his desk was covered in empty bottles. Beer, whiskey, scotch, even a bottle of sake from Tseng's old desk decorated the wooden surface. Reno looked even more dishevelled than usual, his shirt pulled from his pants, his jacket missing from when he'd taken it off running down the street hoping to stop that bastard Trask from…

He couldn't even finish the thought, merely took another swig off the bottle, and watched the television screen as it endlessly played Shera's death over and over, putting onto endless repeat.

She'd managed to knock out the power, using the feed cable to electrocute Trask, but then had turned her back on him. He slowly stood up, obviously staggered, but far from incapacitated, much less killed, and readied his knife. The man walked up silently behind her, said something, and then plunged the blade into her back. Not once. Not twice. Not even three times. The knife went in and out, a rapid succession of piercing. In 2.7 seconds, and Reno had counted several times, Trask had managed to stab her seventeen times. The man was unbelievably fast, despite his size. As Shera fell, she whispered a word, and Reno said it with her, having witnessed it countless times now. "Cid."

All the while, the camera, on its own battery run power supply, had watched on in cold impassiveness.

Reno wished he could mimic that. Just watch the event and have no feelings about it at all. Just watch, and record the information. He was a Turk. He was supposed to be like that. Hell, he'd been the one to drop the Sector Seven plate with a grin on his face. Why'd he feel so bad about this one death?

A knock sounded at the door to the Turk office, and Reno shouted, "Go away!"

He wanted to be alone, and several times, Elena had come to him trying to cheer him up, even one time offering him a comfort screw. His eyebrows had risen up at that last suggestion, followed by his pistol coming out of his jacket and aiming it at the woman, chasing her out. He hadn't wanted comfort or pity then, he certainly didn't want it now.

"Go away or I open fire!" he slurred at the door as the knock sounded once more. When the offender continued to knock, he pulled out his pistol and awkwardly blasted away, emptying his clip and missing the door entirely, the shots impacting on the wall to the left of it.

"Always did aim a bit too much to the right," he muttered. "Or was that to the left?"

He wasn't sure anymore. He took a swig of his… what was he drinking again? Oh right, brandy. He took a swig of his brandy and let it burn its way down his throat. Even as he did, the door banged open, and in walked Yuffie. A shuriken flew from her hand and suddenly the bottle was in pieces, glass strewn about the desk, and some of it cutting Reno's face, hands, and chest.

"Fuck!" he yelled, more annoyed than anything. "What do you want?"

Yuffie didn't answer, just crossed the office, hopped over his desk, and punched Reno firmly in the nose. He swore again, and tried to stand up so he could defend himself from this unexpected attack. As he did so, Yuffie's foot came up, and then down hard, directly between his legs. He fell back into his chair, holding his wounded groin, making a soft groan. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he nearly felt like passing out. Yuffie seemed to have other ideas.

Grabbing him by his ponytail, the girl yanked him from his seat and dragged him from the office and into the bathroom. Reno was forced to stumble along, swearing all the while, and attempting to swat at her, but in his drunken state, merely continued to lose his balance and nearly fall as he did so.

When they made it into the bathroom, Reno nearly gagged. The smell of urine filled the air, and he remembered that he'd been the last one to use it, the only reason why he'd left the office, and hadn't flushed.

He really regretted that decision when he suddenly found his head submerged in the toilet, Yuffie forcing it into the water. He choked and gasped and flailed, but somehow, the girl was stronger than him and managed to hold him under.

_Maybe I'm gonna die, _he thought, and almost welcomed the fate, wallowing in self-pity as he was.

But that was not Yuffie's intent, and the ninja brought him up, and said, "Are you done?"

Knowing she meant his recent attitude since Shera's death, he croaked, "No."

In again he went, and was forced to stay for a few seconds, until once more he was released. He felt like vomiting, drenched in toilet water and urine and filled with alcohol as he was.

"Are you done?" she asked again.

He almost said 'no' just to be an asshole, but instead answered, "Yes! No more!"

"Good," she said, then stood him up against the wall.

He gasped, and panted as he let air fill his lungs. "You're pretty strong for a girl," he said, letting a mock grin show on his face. In reality, he didn't want to smile, didn't want to banter, but if it shut her up and got her to leave him alone, he'd do it.

She ignored his comment and said, "I hate being the responsible one. I don't want to be. Gawd, I know you don't want to be either. But you're our leader now, and Hojo's still out there. We freed Cait, but Shera died in the process."

"Yep. Because of my shitty plan," he said. "She's dead because of me."

Yuffie's palm print on his cheek reminded him a second later that he was supposed to be laying off the pity trip. The Turk frowned at her, but continued on with it anyway. "Why do you like me?"

"What?" the girl asked, a blush coming to her cheeks. "What do you mean?"

"Don't deny it. 'Lena told me that you're crushing on me. Why do you like me? How could you possibly like a guy like me? I drop Sector Plates on people for a living."

She made as if to slap him again, but this time he caught her arm and held it. He wanted an answer to this, an honest answer. She must have seen that, because a minute later, she cast her eyes down, and took in a deep breath. When she looked up again, she answered in her most sincere voice, "Because you're not such a bad guy."

"Says who?"

"You rescued me from Corneo."

"No, I rescue Elena from Corneo. You just happened to be a side bonus."

She shook her head. "But afterwards, you got your orders to hunt down Avalanche. They didn't have their Materia on them, they were wounded in the fight against Corneo's pet, and you had the superior fighting position, and you knew it. You could've taken them down right then, but you didn't."

"I was on vacation," he said, deflecting her accusation.

"You saved all our lives against Jenova's army of monsters by self-destructing your 'mag-rod and nearly killing yourself in the process."

"Life and death situation. Figured it was the best chance I had."

"Oh yeah? And howabout when you dropped the Sector Seven plate?"

"What about it?"

"Elena told me," she said. "She said you dropped the plate and then came back and cried afterwards, like you felt really bad about it. You only did it because you're afraid of Shinra, didn't you?"

He straightened himself up. "She told you that, eh? Remind me to shoot her in the leg. Probably heard it from Tseng. Okay, so she told you that story. Fine. But she doesn't know the whole thing. Nobody but Rude does, and I know he sure as fuck didn't go running off at the mouth. Rude's a real friend like that.

"You see, I took the Sector Seven job because I figured I had to be the one to do it. Tseng's too much of a priss to do it, and Rude… well, Rude's a big baby deep inside. Acts all tough, but me and Tseng both knew that he was just a teddy bear waiting to find his princess to protect.

"No, I had to go, because I knew if Tseng went to do it, he'd warn everyone out of the sector first, some sort of anonymous tip. And if Rude went to do it, that shit would haunt him. So I did it. You might think that's me being a good guy, but no. I did it because I had the least amount of conscience out of the three of us. I'd do it, and I'd do it right."

"But you cried," she said firmly, as if that meant everything in the world.

"So? So I felt a little bad afterwards. I still did it. Means nothing. So, still crushing on me? Still 'like' me?" He let go of her arm, letting it drop down to her side.

The girl clenched her fists, and then said without a hint of a smile on her face, "I'd kiss you to prove how I feel, but you're soaked in pee."

She turned and left then, and Reno was left standing there wondering what had just happened. Shera was still dead, Hojo was still in control of Shinra, and Sector Seven was still flattened, but he managed to push it all from his mind for a minute as he left the bathroom. When he walked into the office, he saw Cait Sith sitting on his desk.

"What do you want?" Reno asked.

"Feeling better about yourself?"

"A little. She died to save you. Didn't even know what she was fighting for."

The robot sighed. "I know. Maybe she can find some rest now that she's dead. I hope she finds Cid's spirit in the Lifestream. Those two belonged together."

"Whatever. Is there a point to your being here?"

"Trask," Cait said. "We can't do anything to Hojo with how many guards he surrounds himself with, but we can avenge Shera and nail Trask. What have you learned about him?"

Indicating a file that was now scattered on the floor, Reno answered, "I looked it over while I was running through the first part of the Shera's death marathon. Hojo did all sorts of experiments to him. Apparently he's resistant to cold, electricity, and heat. He's about twice as fast as a normal human, meaning about half again as quick as your average Soldier. Endless stamina and endurance, and doesn't feel pain at all. He's also a psychotic. He loves to kill people, and he's good at it."

Cait nodded. "Okay. Then our first order of business is-"

"Woah, wait up there. I'm in charge here, not you. This is a Turk operation. I decide what we do."

"I thought you weren't in any condition to do so, so I came up with a plan."

"Good for you. Now you'll listen to mine. You stay in hiding. We don't want Hojo to figure out where you are. Yuffie's going to lay low, too. Elena's going to act like everything's status quo, and lead the search against you, but conveniently never come near the Turk offices during her search. Meanwhile, I'm going to take Trask out on a training run, since he's now a Turk. I'm going to find out what he's capable of, and then I'm going to kill him. Sound good?"

The doll nodded. "More or less what I had in mind."

"Good," Reno responded. He picked up his gun, retrieved a clip from the desk, and slammed it into place.

"Where are you going?"

Reno didn't answer, just merely left the office and went to the locker rooms. He found Elena in there, getting changed.

"Told Yuffie about me crying?" he asked, not really expecting her to answer truthfully.

Elena looked confused at first, but her eyes gave it away. She had mentioned it. And true to his word, he shot at her, the bullet grazing her leg. The woman let out a yelp of pain as she hopped up and down, clutching at her wounded leg.

"What was that for?" she yelled.

"Just be glad I'm not still drunk," he answered, remembering the bullet holes to the side of the Turk office door.

Author's Note:

I just wrote that chapter in the space of 45 minutes, and am very proud of the result. I loved writing that, and I'm actually starting to like Yuffie somewhat.


	42. Training

Author's Notes:

So, this will be the third chapter in a row I've written from work, heh. I don't own FF or any of its characters. Final Trinity is coming.

Chapter Fourty Two

Training

When dawn came, the Red Wings were finally allowed to rest from their vigil. Half of their number got to sleep, while the other half were put at ease, allowed to rest, but not sleep. This continued for four hours, until Rude ordered the sleeping half awake, and the resting half to sleep. Thus a sleeping rotation began.

Whoever was awake trained with Rude and Tifa, receiving a crash course in hand to hand fighting, learning how to watch your opponent's movements and anticipate how they'd act. Very few became proficient in the quick lessons. There just wasn't enough time.

All the while, Rude wanted to hit something. He tried to keep his normal, stoic behaviour wrapped about him like a cloak, but found it increasingly difficult. He was trapped in Fort Condor, surrounded by an enemy army that hid during the day and came out at night, screaming for blood.

And worse, he was being forced to baby-sit a group of inept children. He wanted to take his rope that was still tied to a nearby stalagmite and climb out of the Fort, away from these children and away from this fight that wasn't his own.

But he didn't.

Maybe it was the fight. The chance to test himself nightly against a deadly opponent. A part of him craved it, certainly. Demanded it. He always longed for the next night to come, the next test, the next series of fights.

Another part of him knew that if the White Scourge won out, more than Fort Condor would be overrun. Radio contact with Cosmo Canyon, while sparse, just proved that the albinos had an enormous reach. Where they came from, no one knew, but everyone was certain that they had to be driven back.

But no. The real reason why he stayed, and he knew it deep down, was because of Tifa. He wanted no part of this particular fight. It was over his head, and he wasn't used to playing hero. That was Avalanche's job, and as Cloud liked to remind him, Rude wasn't a part of Avalanche.

Tifa held up one of the spears that the Red Wings were using, displaying how she was gripping it to a circle of twenty teenagers. "You hold it like this. Your left hand guides it, while your right puts all the strength into it. Lunge with the right, aim with the left. Unless, of course, you're left handed. Then it's the other way around."

She then showed the teenagers the importance of footwork, and where to place your weight when lunging, and where to put it at rest. Rude watched it all with a kind of awkward amazement. How did she know how to wield a spear so well?

She paused for a moment in her display, looked directly at Rude, and smirked.

Even hidden behind his glasses, it became apparent that his eyes had widened at that. Once again, she knew what he was thinking, and had responded in her own little way, the smirk saying, _I learned from watching the best._

She knew how to wield a spear so well because she had seen Cid do it daily during their hunt for Sephiroth.

And even more shocking, he realized he had just done to her what she had done to him for the past week. He had known exactly what she was thinking just from her facial expressions.

She winked at him, and continued on with her lesson.

All the while, Rude thought of the next move. There were two sides to the mountain of Fort Condor. One was very steep and guarded by the Red Wings, the other more assailable and guarded by the older soldiers, veterans, and mercenaries. So far, the White Scourge had stuck with just attacking the front that was easier to mount, but the last attack had been more focused on the Red Wings' side.

Worse, Rude had killed one member of their precious Trinity, and then further humiliated them by harrying their retreat. The Scourge would attack the Red Wings' side again this night. They'd want to get some measure of their pride back.

And judging from Rude's count, they had probably killed three hundred albinos last night. Three hundred out of a force of thousands. There were only fourty eight Red Wings, and the force on the other side of the fort barely numbered one hundred.

"Tifa," Rude said, looking to her once more.

Putting down the spear, the woman moved closer to him, waving dismissing gestures to her students. "Yes?"

Rude pulled her aside, further away from the prying eyes and ears of the ever curious Red Wings.

"We're not going to win," Rude said quietly.

"What?" Tifa asked, shocked at the finality in his tone.

"We're not going to win. The Scourge outnumbers us too greatly."

"So what? You're giving up?"

Her accusing words cut him, and he nearly flinched away. Instead, he set his jaw and looked her firmly in the eyes through his sunglasses.

"You're serious, aren't you?" she asked. "You want to give up. What about Fort Condor? What about the Red Wings? You have a responsibility here!"

"We can't do this on our own. We need…" He realized what he was about to say and shut his mouth firmly. He would _not_ say that.

But Tifa knew what he was about to say and finished for him. "Cloud. You think we need Cloud."

He nodded slowly, and a smile spread across Tifa's face. "That's unexpected of you. I didn't think you'd ever admit to us needing him in some way. I thought you were jealous."

_I am_, he thought. "I… I need you to leave."

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"I need you to leave Fort Condor. Go find Cloud. Bring him back here. We need all the help we can get. If anyone else is with him, bring them, too."

Tifa stood up straighter, as if realizing what Rude was asking of her. She knew that the only real reason that he was there was because of her, and now he was asking her to leave. Leave to go find Cloud.

"I'll hold the Fort," he said.

She gave him a sympathetic look, and leaned in, planting a firm kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, she said, "I love you."

"No you don't," he responded. "But thanks anyway."

The slap across his cheek left his head ringing, almost as much as the next kiss that she gave him did. He felt a small tingling behind his ears and a small flush crawling in his cheeks when she finished.

"I _do_ love you," Tifa said firmly.

"Good. I love you, too. Come back quickly."

Nodding, the female fighter turned from him, and grabbing the rope he had tied earlier, threw it over the edge and climbed down.

One of the Red Wings, a boy of seventeen asked, "Where's she going?"

Rude smiled. "She's going to save us all."

Author's Note:

Ug. I actually lost the disk with the chapter, so I had to rewrite it from scratch. And believe me, it was hard. Sorry about the lateness. I'm hoping to break that habit, heh.


	43. Detective

Author's Notes:

Jeez... I'm way too busy these days to update at the pace I'd like to. Two jobs, two RP sites, this fic, a fic in the making, and just a load of crap I can't deal with. But anyway. I don't own the rights to Final Fantasy. Final Trinity is coming.

Chapter Fourty Three

Detective

The cavern-like tunnel inside Mount Cosmo, the home of the residents of Cosmo Canyon, was empty, having been cleared at the behest of Vincent Valentine. The former Turk had begun his investigation into Elder Juyan's death, while Barret and Dio worked on the fortifications outside. Red XIII frequently made trips between the two, checking over their progress, as well as watched Frennal and Dorret as well as he could.

The feline warrior traveled down the tunnel, and saw Vincent, newly clothed in the same black pants and boots as always, but with a new addition of a black shirt and coat strikingly similar to Sephiroth's. The only difference in the cape was a pair of slits in the back to make room for the former Turk's new, bat-like wings.

"Just because you wield Masamune," Nanaki said, "doesn't mean you have to dress like its former owner."

Vincent, who was squatting on the floor near to where Juyan's body had lain, made no physical reaction and merely swept a careful glance about the hall and responded, "A woman of Cosmo Canyon made it. Said it was a 'gift for the black angel.'"

"There have been others. White robes, capes, cloaks and so forth. People give them to me, expecting me to deliver them to you. I must say, though, the black is far more befitting."

Vincent looked up, and quirked an eyebrow at the cat. "Because it symbolizes death? Mourning? Destruction?"

"No. Because it was the same colour Sephiroth wore. The more I think of it, the more appropriate I believe it to be."

"And why is that?"

"Because Sephiroth very well could have been your son, if things had gone right."

Vincent nodded once, then looked back to the ground, intent on something that Red XIII couldn't see. The man lazily traced a metal finger along it, outlining it carefully. The feline warrior approached slowly, and saw that the shape was a boot print. A very large boot print, barely there, lightly stamped into the dust of the floor.

"Amazing that you found this."

"More a fluke than anything," Vincent supplied. "Intuition. Old Turk instincts."

"And what do your Turk instincts tell you?"

"That Juyan was not killed for the sake of murdering him. I think he stumbled on something." Vincent looked up meaningfully, and cast his glance at the end of the hallway where a sealed door stood. The door to the Cavern of the Gi Tribe, the one weak spot in Cosmo Canyon's defenses where the Gi had once charged through and were held back by Seto.

"You think someone attempted to open the door and Juyan found them and was killed for that?"

"I'm not sure. But either way, I went to Bugenhagen's old room and using some of the technology there, constructed a safe guard. The problem is solved."

"What did you do?" Red XIII asked suspisciously.

Vincent looked reluctant to answer, as if doing such a thing went against his very nature. The man paused for a moment, then uttered, "I made a bomb."

"You made a bomb? In my home?" the cat snarled.

"Be at ease," Vincent hissed, "and quiet yourself. This boot print is a day old. There are others, but this one was the most obvious, because the owner was heavier."

"Frennal?"

"Perhaps, but I have no proof. I have set the bomb on the door, so when it explodes, it will only kill the man who tried to open it, and cave the door in. No one will be harmed who shouldn't be. The only way to disarm the bomb is to input the password, which is 'Lucrecia.' If someone attempts to disarm it in any way, or take off the outer casing, it will explode. Tell only Barret." Vincent paused for a moment, and then added, "And Dio. I think he can be trusted."

"How did you make something that complex out of spare parts?" Red marveled.

"Standard Turk training. It's one of the first things they teach you."

The feline shook his head, whether in disbelieving admiration or disgust, even he wasn't sure. He was about to make another remark about the bomb, but instead voiced, "Dorret is holding his meeting now. He has probably nominated the man he wants to fill in the empty position of Elder, and has undoubtedly begun the vote."

"Who did he nominate?"

"I am unsure. I wasn't present when he put forth a name."

Vincent nodded, then asked, "How does the vote work? I am unfamiliar with Cosmo Canyon politics."

Red motioned for Vincent to follow him as he turned from the corridor heading to Cosmo Candle, and began to explain. "In the event of the death of an Elder, five parties vote, the majority winning. The voting parties are the two remaining Elders of Cosmo Canyon, the Guardian of Cosmo Canyon, Grandfather, and the people of Cosmo Canyon. Whatever the majority of the people want is the way their vote is cast into one voice."

"But Bugenhagen is de... parted."

"Yes, so Grandfather will not be voting. I'm not sure what will be done in his stead. I fear that Dorret will use that against us."

The two were now outside, and saw the people of Cosmo Canyon, Corel, and Gold Saucer standing around the ever-burning flame. At the forefront were Frennal and Dorret, accompanied by a man wearing brown robes.

"Large man," Vincent observed. "Is he the one they are nominating?"

"Standard procedure. The nominee is robed, hooded, and hidden from the people during the vote. It's an old custom. It prevents the nominee's looks to sway in the voting at all. He is neither allowed to speak nor reveal himself during the voting. The nominee is only told of his potential appointment an hour before the ceremony. Furthermore, he is only allowed to be named once, and I fear we both missed it."

The people about Cosmo Candle seemed overjoyed at this ceremony, and as Vincent and Red XIII walked among them, they parted. The normally blank look on Vincent's face flickered to one of annoyance for half a second, then reverted back to its normal expressionless visage.

"Who do you think they nominated?" Vincent asked.

"From what I saw, he's entirely too large to be any of the obvious candidates I thought Dorret would choose. He's a mystery."

Dorret's voice sounded as they came close, "Let them come forth! Nanaki, Guardian of Cosmo Canyon, and Vincent Valentine, Demonic Angel, come and cast your votes!"

The feline turned his head slightly to the side and asked, "Why must Vincent vote? Surely the crowd has decided their vote and need no swaying from him."

Dorret frowned, and explained in a careful voice, one that seemed faintly disappointed. "It is the opinion of the people of Cosmo Canyon that Valentine vote in Bugenhagen's place. He is as much a symbol to them now as Bugenhagen ever was."

Vincent nodded, only half-listening, and instead focused on the man who wore the robes. A large man, certainly, well muscled. He couldn't make out the face underneath the hood, though.

"What is the vote?" Red XIII asked.

Frennal jumped up and answered, "Dorret for, the people for, myself against, and now awaiting your votes to decide."

"Very well," Red XIII said. "I vote against."

But even as Red XIII said those words, Vincent hissed. The wind picked up for a moment, and one of the sleeves of the robe came up, revealing something. Immediately he said, "I vote for!"

The feline whirled on Vincent, an incredulous expression on his face. But even as he did, Dorret shouted, "It is decided! Our new Elder is chosen! All welcome Elder Wallace!"

And with that, Barret pushed back his hood, and nodded to the crowd. And everyone cheered.


	44. Final Vision

Author's Notes:

Reno: Wow, we haven't been around for a while, have we?

Reeve: Yeah, Tyramir's been going on about advertising some "Final Trinity" garbage, whatever the hell _that_ is, and felt it would have more of an impact if he said it and not us.

Reno: That's bullshit.

Reeve: I know, I know. Anyway, Tyramir doesn't own Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Fourty Four

Final Vision

As Shinra's battle with the Tali Hishna concluded, the enemy force fleeing from the spotlights on the helicopters, Rufus' words followed after them, taunting them as they ran.

"I am Shinra! No one defeats Shinra!"

He yelled at their backs as they ran like the cowards they were, a fury gripping him. He nearly gave chase, a desperate charge to show them once and for all who the true master was, who deserved this land above all others. And as he took his first step forward, a hand gripped his shoulder, stopping and pulling him back.

He whirled about and looked into Aeris' eyes, weapons still in hand. He stopped, the rage fading completely from him. He grinned amusedly, a foreign expression on his normally callous face. This moment, he ignored her pity and pretended her reproach was not there. This was a day of victory, and he wanted it treated as such.

"Aeris, I-"

"You said 'Shinra'," she stated.

Confusion crossed his face. "What?"

"You said 'Shinra.' 'No one defeats Shinra.' And worse... 'I am Shinra.'"

His normally cold expression slipped back on, devoid of feeling. Had he said that? He guessed he did, but it didn't seem right. Shinra was power, but was that still who he was? He shunned his father, but with that sudden burst of... madness... he'd come dangerously close to sounding just like him.

He sheathed Murasame and put away his shotgun in its hip holster. Brushing her hand from his shoulder and turning from her, he began to walk away as he said, "Forget it. I got lost in the moment is all. It's nothing."

"Are you your father or not?" There was an unusual amount of firmness in her voice.

"No," he said. "My father could never..." He stopped himself short as he realized what he was about to say. He clamped his mouth shut and began walking again.

"Your father could never what?" Aeris asked, stepping into stride beside him, a curious look in her eye.

"My father could never be as ambitious as I am. I have a dream, Aeris. A dream of an Empire. The Planet itself showed it to me. I'll rebuild the City of the Ancients, and gather the people there, and make the greatest city this world has ever known. It will be a place of peace and tolerance and harmony. People will be happy there. _Happy_. My name will be sung throughout the ages because of it."

"So... you want to make people happy so you'll be a legend?"

"I would be lying if I said 'no.' Do my motives really matter?"

"They're all that matters, I think. Better to fail at making an Empire such as yours and see that people are happy then to succeed for nothing more than simple pride. You have to forget what people think about you, and serve your common man in the best way you can."

He thought about that for a moment as the two walked back to the encampment. Already defensive formations and sentries were being formalized, and tents were being erected for the long night that was sure to come.

After a long silence, just as they were entering the main camp, Aeris asked, "So, what is it that your father never really could do?"

He jolted for a moment, surprised she had seen through his lie. He stammered for a moment. "Excuse me?"

"Your Empire. His ambition, or lack of it. That's not true. If the old President Shinra had anything, it was ambition. What do you have that he doesn't? What do you really have?"

Rufus quickened his pace, leaving her behind, and entered the center pavilion, set up exclusively as his living quarters while on the road. He closed the tent flap behind him and immediately threw off his coat and discarded his weapons. For the first time, he noticed it was covered in blood. He looked down to his gloved hands, and noticed they, too, were similarly covered. He buried his face in his hands as he sat down in the cot that was set up for him, wondering when it would ever end.

Aeris made no sound as she entered, just stood by the tent flap. He sensed her more than anything, aware of her presence. He wanted to tell her to go away, to leave him. Instead, he just uttered, "Love."

He started as he felt her hands take his and pull them away from his face. She was kneeling in front of him, and he realized that for the first time, there was a little bit of blood on her face as well.

"Who do you love?" she asked.

He smirked condescendingly, something he was good at. "I thought it would be obvious by now. I only tried to kidnap you, and when that failed, blackmailed Cloud with his little treaty into surrendering you to me."

A startled look came into her eyes. "Rufus... that's not love. You don't... you don't try to force someone... you don't even know me!"

"No, I don't," he admitted. "But I want to. I want to so desperately. At first, I wanted to destroy you. You were part of Weapon, and I hated Weapon more than anything else. But then... something inside of me. The Cetra in me. It convinced me that your race, our race, needed to live on. There isn't enough Cetra DNA to create a race of us through the Soldier process, but it's enough for a start. But we need to breed. So I thought... that we could... And then I met you, and our talks. Aeris, our talks! You've made me think. Think about my whole life. Rethink everything. And-"

He stopped as she stood up, releasing his hands as she did.

She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Rufus, I really am, but I don't love you, and I'm not even sure if you know what love is."

And with that, she was gone.

He simply sat there on his cot after she left. He felt cold inside, and his fingers tingled. He knew he should be angry. He had just been rejected, rejected by the only woman he had truly wanted.

She was right. He hadn't known what love was. He did now. It was something he would never have. Always someone else was taking from him, and he was always forced to take it back. His father had destroyed Rufus' younger years, so he had taken back his own life by killing Tobias Shinra. Diamond Weapon had destroyed Shinra, so Rufus had rebuilt it and carried on a personal war against Obsidian Weapon. And now... now _Cloud Strife_ had stolen Aeris from him! That's what it was. There was still a score to settle between the two, they both knew it. Cloud had stolen a measure of pride from Rufus in defeating him in battle _twice_, by helping to kill Jenova once and for all where he could not, and now this final insult! No more!

Standing up, he yelled, "NO MORE!"

He screamed his defiance, yelling until his throat was sore, until tears streamed down his eyes from the pain. A guard opened the tent flap, looking to see the cause of the commotion, but immediately Rufus stopped his yelling and chased the man out. The President of Shinra charged about his pavilion, knocking over collapsible shelves and desks, over battle reports and a bar fridge. He kicked over his cot, tore at the fabric walls of his room, and screamed in rage.

Rufus Shinra had a temper tantrum.

When he was finished, he collapsed to the ground, heaving in exhaustion until he finally fell asleep.

* * *

Once more he was in the dreamscape, a field of rolling green all about him. He still was lying on the ground, but nothing else was the same. The place was not familiar to him, a featureless plain of endless grass and blue sky.

He reluctantly stood up, and there, predictably, was the figure of his father.

"I told you that you did not have it in you to be a Cetra."

Rufus wanted to charge at this apparition. Attack it with his bare hands and rend the life from it and do whatever damage he could. Instead, he simply nodded his head in agreement.

Tobias continued, "She will not help you. Not now, not ever. Strife will prevent that. She loves him, and will never leave him. He's the better warrior, the man of better ethics. He's a hero, a champion. She will always choose him, you know. No matter what you do. Because your methods and your views are so far apart from hers. But there is a way to have her."

"How?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

"All women are attracted to the hero, yes," the ghost said slyly, "but there is another thing they are attracted to. Make your Empire, Rufus. Build it however you can, in whatever way you can. Do not worry about peace and harmony and happiness. Just build it, and make sure it lasts a thousand years. And use it to crush Cloud Strife. Show her who the superior man is. That will draw her."

Rufus laughed. "You are mad, father. Do you honestly think I will do that?"

"No, Rufus. I do not. Because you are not half the man I was. Only a few times in your life have you grasped power, and always you have failed with it. Only through treachery have you ever succeeded. You're good at that, Rufus. In order to survive through the days to come, you will need that."

"And you think what? The only way I will achieve my Empire will be through betrayal? How? Who will I betray? I am already at the top!"

"You will be defeated, Rufus! You may win the war against the Tali Hishna, but do you think it will end there? They will return, and attack in different ways! You will lose this war. I have seen it, and so have you. Your people will die in the path you pursue. You will die."

Rufus shook his head, not wanting to believe it. But it was true, he knew. He would not survive this conflict. He was fighting a losing battle on the losing side. "What do I do? What do I do so I can live and build my Empire?"

"Fight like a Shinra."


	45. Family

Author's Notes:

Reno: Wheee! More me!

Reeve: Yeah yeah. Shut your damn pie hole. You know, people actually request to see me. And where are my chapters? No fugging idea. Because I'm in hiding. And really, who wants to write a chapter dedicated to a toy cat hiding in a closet?

Reno: No one. That's why we get to hear more about me. Sexy, sexy me.

Reeve: My hatred for you is only equaled by your stupidity. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Chapter Fourty Five

Family

Reno plugged a cigarette in his mouth as he waited in the driver's seat of his car. It was a beat up old Bandersnatch, retired from production, but the heap had a special place in the Turk's heart. Namely, because it was the only car he could find on short notice that was big enough to fit the bulletproof body-kit he had bought from a weapon's dealer. The windows were also similarly treated, and the trunk was outfitted with a loaded gun rack that any psycho wanting to depopulate the nearest McChocobo's would envy.

He glanced at his watch again. 3:58 pm. Trask still had two minutes to get his ass in gear, but Reno was impatient. Turk handbook always said you had to be five minutes early. Someone obviously hadn't done their homework. He was tempted to call it off, just forget Reeve's idea to train this murderer, keep an eye on him, and look for a weak spot, then kill him. The more he thought about it, the more he remembered Shera's death, and the guilt threatened to sweep over him again.

Instead, he managed his best grin, trying to think care free thoughts. He thought of the new secretary, Cheryl, and how that red skirt she liked to wear tended up ride up on her legs when she sat down. For a minute, it nearly worked. Then, he lost patience.

"You there, Yuffie?" he asked, poking at the ear piece radio that was beginning to feel more than a little uncomfortable.

"Loud and clear," came the response.

"You're in position?"

A deep sigh sounded, and the girl responded, "_Yes_, I'm in position. Gawd, don't worry."

Reno was about to make another comment when the passenger door opened, and Trask sat down in the seat. The man was wearing Turk blue now, and his wounds were now gone. His dagger was sheathed at his side, but his sword wasn't on his person. Neither looked at each other, and neither man said a word. Reno just flicked his cigarette out the window, turned the key in the ignition, and drove out of the parking lot. They cruised down the Junon streets in complete silence. Reno kept his customary smirk on, acting as if he didn't have a care in the world. Trask's face was set in cold arrogance, nearly expressionless otherwise.

After three consecutive traffic lights all turning up red, Reno leaned forward and flipped the radio on, putting it onto a jazzy station. A cheery tune came on, and he whistled along with it. When the light turned green and he started forward again, Trask leaned down and turned the radio off.

"You are unprofessional," the man observed.

Reno smiled, remembering Tseng's first lesson to him, to all Turks that worked the street. "Goes with the territory. You learn to be unprofessional with this job early, or you die. Easy as that."

"Forgive me if I think you sound like an idiot for saying that."

"Forgiveness granted. It's always the stupid ones that get killed in their first week that say that kind of stuff. There's wisdom in my words, trust me."

The man looked to Reno, giving him a inquisitive look. "What possible wisdom could there be in acting unprofessional?"

The Turk spotted the apartment building he was looking for quickly, and pulled up in front of it, parking his car directly in front of a fire hydrant. "Simple, rookie. And I don't give two shits about your Soldier record. We work the streets. We kidnap, we scout, and we kill. We do all the stuff that the normal police can't do, because we're that good. But we don't get to be that good by following procedure, due process, or what's in the book. The only set of rules we follow..." he paused as he pulled out a book from his breast pocket, "... is this. Turk protocol, as written by Tseng, the man who came before me. In a year, I'll have the revised edition of this out. But til then, you follow that one to the letter, rookie. And it said when you're ordered to be there at a certain time, you show up five minutes early."

Trask grunted, opened his door, and climbed out of the car. Reno followed suit, making sure to check the rooftop of a nearby building across the street without being obvious. He couldn't see her, but he was certain Yuffie was there, ready to run to help him if anything went awry.

"Okay," Reno said, "our mission's simple. The apartment we're going to hit is on the base floor. It belongs to a soldier known to take bribes. Rufus left us a memo to take care of him a while back, and someone slipped him the information. So he ran. Normally, I would have roughed him up a bit, but he deserted, and there's only one punishment for that."

Trask nodded, a twisted grin coming on his face. "How do you know he will be here? Surely he is not so foolish as to run to an apartment in his name?"

Reno smirked. "Of course not. But it belongs to his girlfriend. She'll probably be there, as well as their two year old. Intelligence says he was planning on marrying her."

"Do you feel remorse then?" Trask asked.

Reno thought about it for a minute and shook his head. "Nah. I don't do remorse. Turns the ladies off. I was just thinking how lonely his woman's gonna be after we kill him."

An evil chuckle escaped Trask's lips, and the Soldier had a gleam in his eye. "I thought you were above that. I've read your file, Reno Melville. I know all about you. I hope you do not disappoint."

He was about to make a retort, but his ear piece was filled with the sound of laughter, which stopped only to jokingly say, "Melville" and then was followed up with more laughter.

Trask made his way to the door of the apartment, and was about to open it when Reno made a noise. The man stopped and looked quizzically back.

"Ground level window," Reno said, pointing to one at the side of the building. "That should be where apartment three is, where our target's located."

Trask snorted in disgust. "Shinra regulations say we approach from the front door, identify ourselves, give him a chance to surrender, and if he resists, we act with extreme prejudice."

"Yeah, and what'd I just finish telling you about regulations and professionalism, rookie?"

The large man didn't respond, simply opened up the front door to the apartment building and walked in. Reno stepped back and sat on thehood of his car. He pulled out a new cigarette, lit it, and took a drag.

"Aren't you going to help him?" Yuffie asked.

"Why should I? He wants to get himself killed, fine by me. We're in this to see him dead. Whether I shoot him or some no-name, bribe-taking, deserting soldier does... makes no matter to me. Long as he's dead."

Near as he was to the ground floor window, he could hear the banging on the door to the apartment. It sounded as if a small battering ram were try to take out a wall. It was followed up by some shouting. It was muffled by the door, but Reno could still make the blow hard out.

"This is Agent Ivon Trask of the Turks! By the power vested in my by Shinra Inc-"

Trask was cut off by the sound of gunfire. Reno smirked as some nobody soldier emptied aclip from a Shinra issue glock into a door, and probably into Trask himself. A woman screamed, and he heard a child cry out. Probably the soldier's fiancé and brat.

"Well, I guess that's the end of Ivon Trask..." Reno said, a sadistic smile on his face.

Hopping off the hood of his car, he whistled a cheery tune to himself as he moved to the window to hop in and finish the job Trask had royally screwed.

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire filled the air. Reno ducked and swore, and he could hear Yuffie yelling over the ear piece radio demanding to know what was going on. All he heard was screaming, wood splintering, and gunfire. Pulling out his gun, he readied himself to hop into the apartment and into the chaos.

And then it all stopped.

As soon as it did, Reno stood up and vaulted himself over the windowsill and into the room. Furniture was upturned, and behind one piece was a man clutching a wounded shoulder.

_That must be the target, _Reno thought.

He didn't even make a mental note of putting three rounds in the man's chest. He just did it. You desert your post, you get people killed. Better you die than someone else later on because you're a coward.

Moving to the next room, he saw the splintered doorway, and Trask standing in the middle of the room, his gun out. On the floor was a dead woman. Not far from her, a dead toddler.

"You killed the family," Reno said, almost like a statement to reaffirm that it had actually happened.

"Acceptable casualties," Trask said. "They were in my line of fire."

"Acceptable...?" Something inside Reno snapped. He strode up to the big man, and before either man was sure what was happening, the Turk's pistol was planted firmly against Trask's temple. "Listen, you rat-fuck. You just murdered a fucking _kid_. You destroyed an entire family today, and you didn't even kill the mark. I had to come in and clean that mess up for you. You accuse me of being unprofessional? Look in the mirror, you fucking cold-blooded psycho!"

"Don't kill him!" Yuffie yelled through the ear piece.

_Why the fuck not? _he thought. He wanted to yell it, but stopped himself short. He could grease the son of a bitch right now, end the little puke stain and do the world a favor.

Trask just smiled at Reno as if the weapon weren't even there. There was a confident look in his eyes, a look that said that he was absolutely certain he could disarm Reno before he could pull the trigger. The red-headed Turk was almost tempted to try it.

"You speak to me about destroying families," Trask said. "You dropped the Sector Seven plate, Reno, not I. In one push of a button, you killed more people than I ever will. Reports say seven hundred died from that. Do you not think children were killed? Families destroyed? You act like you're better than me. All I am is a man trying to emulate the image you set forth. You are what a Turk is, Reno Melville. Teach me all you know."

"What the fuck do you know about family, Trask? What the fuck do you know about me?"

"I know that you requested the Sector Seven job specifically. Tseng was originally slated to do it, but you demanded to handle it yourself."

"That's because Tseng was too much of a pansy to do it right," Reno said through clenched teeth. Was he saying that for himself, or for Yuffie?

"Like I said, Reno, I've read your file. I know your history. You were born in Sector Seven, as well as your brother, Johnny. Psycho-analysis suggests that you took that job because you knew that it was going to happen no matter what, and felt that it was your responsibility to do it. To be the one who killed your own brother."

Now _that_ was a mistake. Reno pressed the pistol even harder against the man's temple, and his finger twitched over the trigger. He began to slowly squeeze. "You shut the fuck right up, asshole. I'll kill you right now!"

"Don't kill him!" Yuffie yelled. "If Hojo sees you come back without Trask, he's gonna have an investigation done! They'll pull your bullet out of his corpse, Reno!"

Trask continued his taunting, "I destroyed a family today. You destroyed more. Worse, you destroyed your own. I always pictured you cold, passionless. More like me. A man I could become. But I see you for what you are, Reno. You're weak."

Reno let the gun drop from Trask's temple. He didn't even aim, just shot as the gun came down. Blood splattered as a bullet entered and exited Trask's thigh. The man didn't even grunt, but his weight shifted drastically to his other leg. His expression never changed from that same, knowing smirk.

"You _ever_ fucking call me weak again, the next one goes in your temple."

Reno turned from Trask and exited the apartment building. Over his ear piece, Yuffie said, "Is it true? Was your brother in Sector Seven when the plate went down?"

"Maybe," Reno said, walking up to his car. He opened the door, climbed in, and slammed it. "Maybe not."

"So you did the Sector Seven job, why...?"

"Trask has me pegged. Did it because no matter what, someone was gonna do it. Tseng wouldn't have backed out and warned anyone, and Rude would've done it without a second thought. I was full of shit when I told you that. I did it because I figured if anyone was gonna kill my brother, it might as well be me. Poor Johnny... He was just a damn kid. A damn, stupid kid. A lot like you, Yuffs."

"Gee, _thanks_."

An awkward silence followed up, and Reno thought about his brother a little bit. He took another drag on his cigarette, then tossed it, then remembered he was supposed to be quitting. When he got back to base, he was going to set fire to every pack of smokes he had. And inhale the fumes. And those would be the last. He thought about following up that event with a bottle of scotch, but then shuddered at the memory of Yuffie dunking his head in a urine filled toilet.

"So, still like me?" Reno asked. "I'm not covered in pee this time. Would you kiss me?"

"I'm blowing one at you now."

"Aww, thanks. The sentiment's appreciated, kiddo. Tell you what, Yuffs. I'll go out with you. On a date and everything."

"What?" came the incredulous response.

Reno smirked as he said, "Yeah. When you hit eighteen. Oh, shit. Here hobbles Trask now. Radio silence and all. I'll take him back to Hojo, get him bandaged up, and we'll have a sit down with Reeve, okay? Figure out what we're gonna do next."

"Reno?"

"Didn't I just say 'radio silence?'"

There was a pause. "You're a real jerk, you know that? But it's okay. I'm gonna hold you to that birthday date. Oh, just to let you know, November 20th is my birthday."

Reno smirked, then thought about that for a second. She was sixteen now... the date was October ... the ... 26th. Shit. He had little less than a year plus a month.

So it was as Trask entered the car, a make-shift bandage wrapped around his leg from the dead woman's clothing that he found Reno at the steering wheel laughing like a madman, worry tinging the sound of it.


	46. The Enemy Camp

Author's Note:

And now for something a little different. A chapter from the enemy's POV! This will be taking Rude's spot in the rotation. I still don't own FF. Final Trinity is coming. And if you don't like that, too bad. Ttthhhbbbbttt!

Chapter Fourty Six

The Enemy Camp

Graehan, Commander of the Triad and the Tali Hishna's military forces, stared purposefully at the sunset, squinting his eyes carefully. The light stabbed at his eyes, searing them with its brightness. His kind hadn't known light in many centuries, hadn't known the sky in even longer, and here they were, fighting in a land with open air above them and an accursed burning glow covering it for half the day. Even the 'night' as it was called by his Elders was too bright by far. The things called stars, and the orb named as the moon gave off light, and Graehan always felt exposed and blinded. He still wasn't sure what was worse.

Every day there was a new discovery. The open air above him threatened to yank him from his secure footing on the ground, like a great maw always hanging above, always hungry. The light was bothersome, even painful. But it was other things, little things, that bothered him the most. The flying creatures with odd fur and odder mouths. They made noise like singing and flitted about without any care for what was about them. Sound seemed so hollow here as well without cave walls to endlessly echo off of. And the air was different. There was a different texture to it, and worse, a moisture. The first rain the Tali Hishna had come across sent them into a panic. Water falling from the sky? Never had they heard of such a thing! And the lightning... on their only thunder storm, the entire army had scattered, fearful of some Divine Retribution from Mother herself.

He longed for the caves once more, and wished his people had never come to the surface. There was nothing to be had here. All the Tali Hishna had felt Mother's wail for help, begging their assistance. And while Graehan was a devout follower, he wished to at long last see her with his own eyes, and know what she was truly like. Was she a kind Mother? A cruel one? There were so many conflicting stories, stories he had never had answered.

The Yenta Pree said that they would find Mother and they would bow to her Will, and see her Kingdom reborn. They said she would take her children in, and forever shelter them from the Cetra. But first, they had to prove their worthiness to her. They had to subjugate the humans.

The Triad warrior sighed, and sat down on a rock, watching the sunset.

He was the only Tali Hishna who dared do it. All others had not the courage, always fearful of being struck down. The sun was a demon to them, something that brought pain and blindness.

Soon, in a week perhaps, he would begin to force his soldiers to watch the sun alongside him. They needed to grow strong and adapt. That was the way of the Tali Hishna. When the accursed Cetra had banished the Tali Hishna from paradise, the children of Jenova had been forced to learn how to survive in the depths of the Planet. It had been difficult, but eventually they had adapted.

As Graehan thought of his people and the pride he felt for them, his mind once more wandered to the previous day's battle, as it constantly did now. Claiveh had fallen. Claiveh, survivor of a hundred battles, master of any and all weapons, the man who could kill anything with the strength of his hands alone, was dead, killed by a rock.

Graehan felt for the first time in many years decidedly mortal. The strange bald man with the blue clothes, and the devilish woman at his side with the lightning fast hands and feet. Those two were the first true fighters he had seen since coming to the surface. All others had been weak and pitiful. And now these two... they possessed a battle skill good enough to be at least considered to join the Triad. Were there others like them? If there were, the Tali Hishna truly were in trouble.

And odder still... upon seeing the bald man, he had felt a certain kinship with him. Certainly he was a good warrior, even if Claiveh's overpowering arrogance had truly been what had killed him, not even attempting to dodge the rock. But was that what drew Graehan's thoughts to the man every time?

No. Whenever he was near one of his own kind, he always felt a bond. Around humans, there was no such feeling, except with this one... there was something. And he wasn't sure what. But something similar.

"Graehan," a female voice called.

The Commander of the Triad turned his head slightly to see Crya, his second in Command. The woman was capable, a demon in hand to hand combat. She was almost as good with her fists and feet as he was with his twin swords. Almost.

"Report," he said, turning back to face the sun.

"We spotted a female leaving the fortress. She keeps to the light, knowing we will not pursue while she's inside of it. I have sent five squads after her to kill her."

Graehan snorted. "Five squads to kill her? A little much, don't you think? Withdraw them. I need those squads here in order to take this fortress."

"But sir! We can't allow a messenger to leave the area!"

"And one won't." He stood up and turned to face her. "Is this the same woman who fought alongside the bald one?"

"We believe so. It's difficult to see in all this light."

"Very well. In that case, _I_ will look for her. I, unlike you, have managed to acclimate myself somewhat to its presence. I am best suited to track her down without sending too many soldiers."

"But who will take control of the army?" Crya asked.

Graehan gave the woman a flat stare, and she shuffled her feet. She knew that it was her place to take control of the army in his absence, but the people in this fortress were putting up too much of a fight. It was entirely possible they would fail in this siege, and whoever was in charge at the time would take the blame.

"I will find the woman and kill her," Graehan said, "and you will lead the army. And if you can, take the bald on prisoner. I wish to learn more of him. There is something about him..."

He thought again of the kinship he had felt with the man, and wondered if he was a possible descendant of any Tali Hishna that may have escaped the exile by the Cetra. He would find out.

Snorting, he thought sarcastically, _And maybe one day I'll meet Mother, too._


	47. Questions Without Answers

Author's Notes:

Final Fantasy… still don't own it. Ah well. Maybe one day. Final Trinity is coming. www . finaltrinity . 0catch . com

Chapter Fourty Seven

Questions Without Answers

After the announcement of Barret as Elder of Cosmo Canyon, there was a grand celebration. Cosmo Canyon was glad to welcome such a renowned and passionate man as one of their leaders, and Corel happy to see one of their own to call the shots. Those from Gold Saucer, used to such celebrations, were just glad there was cause to celebrate.

The party lasted well on into the night, and the sounds from Cosmo Canyon kept the Tali Hishna at bay. The enemy was unsure as to what was going on, but sign of such amazing morale in their opponent made them hesitant to attack that night.

Before Barret or Dio could even thing of participating in the cheer, though, they were both pulled aside by Vincent and Red XIII and led to the library. Once inside, they made careful that the doors were shut and locked. None would interfere with their discussions now.

"What's goin' on?" Barret asked, once they were clear of the crowd. "We should be celebratin'! I'm an Elder now. Dunno what I'm gonna do with the position, but at least now I get a say in what's goin' on 'round here."

"I'm not so sure," Vincent said.

"What?" Barret asked.

Red XIII supplied, "It was Dorret that nominated you for the position, correct?"

"Well, yeah…"

"As I thought. Dorret is attempting to use you, Barret. He nominated you as Elder probably because he thought you, well… Dorret has no respect for your intellectual prowess."

"You sayin' I'm dumb?" Barret asked.

"Not at all. I'm just saying that Dorret _thinks_ you are. As a result, he picked you to be an Elder, probably so that he can gain our trust while he attempts to betray us to the Tali Hishna."

"Now hold on," Barret said. "I know Dorret's a bad guy, but what makes you think he'll betray us to the damn albinos?"

"We found evidence of tampering with the door to Cosmo Canyon's weak spot," Vincent supplied.

Barret looked shocked, and Dio nodded. "The same thing happened with Gold Saucer. Someone let them in. Opened up the elevator from the prison below and hid a large raiding party til everyone was asleep."

"So there might already be in here?" Barret asked.

"Negative," Red XIII said firmly. "I would smell them if they were still within the walls of Cosmo. They are not here."

"So what're we gonna do 'bout that door then?"

"I've already dealt with it," Vincent explained. "I constructed a small bomb that will cave the tunnel in if anyone attempts to open the door or tamper with the bomb. The only way to deactivate it is to enter the password 'Lucrecia.'"

Barret snorted, but the group remained silent for a moment. The fact that there was a traitor in their midst did not seem to settle well with them, and the inevitable conclusion that it was Dorret was painfully obvious.

After a moment, Dio supplied, "What about Frennal?"

"What about him?" Red XIII asked.

"Could he be the one who tampered with the door? And killed Juyan?"

"It's possible," Red XIII said, "but unlikely. Frennal is a coward. He's a lackey. He does what Dorret tells him to."

"Wait," Barret said. "He voted against me, though. He voted against Dorret's choice."

"Maybe he doesn't like you?" the cat supplied.

"No," Dio said. The man stood straight, and seemed contemplative. "When Dorret approached Barret for the position, he was alone. Me and Barret were the only ones there, and Frennal was late for the meeting to decide Barret's place, too. It's entirely possible he just didn't know who was being voted on. Maybe he's really on our side and just wanted to oppose Dorret."

Vincent thought it over for a moment, stroking his gun as he did. It was an old habit of his, dating back to his time in the Turks when he had been just a rookie. It helped him think, kept his mind focused. How did Frennal fit into all of this? He nodded to himself as he pieced it altogether, but he lacked one thing – proof. He would not voice his theory until he had that.

"Nah," Barret said, breaking the silence. "Puny li'l shit prob'ly jes' voted against me cuz he saw me as a threat. I'd bet my last gil that Dorret told Frennal who he was nominatin'. Luckily, I still got three votes."

Dio made a shrug-like motion, and Red XIII padded away towards the stacks of books, seemingly caught up in something. Vincent eyed the cat's sudden interest in the book-littered table, wondering what the protector of Cosmo Canyon could be up to now.

The feline was closely examining one book in particular, muttering one word over and over again, as if lost in thought. "Aha!"

The sudden outburst startled both Barret and Dio, but Vincent had been expecting it. "What is it?" Vincent asked. "What have you found?"

"Three," Red XIII said, as if the word explained everything. "Barret said 'I still got three votes,' and it made me think. There was a particularly difficult passage I had been trying to translate, and I always got stuck on one word. I had been focusing too much on it being a word, and not a number! Once I solved that, it came all together."

"Well, what's it say?" Barret asked.

"It's a prophecy, laid down by Jenova herself just before the Cetra defeated her. It told the Tali Hishna to flee to their caverns, and to rise up once more in the future. Here, the final passage…

"Three are mine,  
Three are theirs,  
Three the warrior,  
Champions they are,  
'Ware the Whirlwind,  
Flee the Demon,  
Fear the Swordsman.

In Wind is our Salvation,  
In Wind is our Defeat,  
I shall fall many times,  
But never shall I be defeated.

No blade shall cut the Demon,  
No spear will pierce his flesh,  
No weapon will ever harm him,  
Only in health will he die.

The Swordsman is the weakest,  
The Swordsman is the strongest.  
Do not confront his massive blade,  
To do so brings only death.

In three they are,  
In three we are,  
Let not my Children know the truth,  
Ere Victory we shall never have."

"The hell's that s'posed to mean?" Barret asked incredulously. "Don't even rhyme or anythin'."

"I assure you, it does in old Cetra," Red stated. "A dead language even when the Tali Hishna were still among us."

Vincent mused over the poem, thinking it over. What could it all mean? He wasn't sure, but he had a few ideas. Still more questions left unanswered. Ever were there more questions to be answered.


	48. The Inevitable

Author's Notes:

Cloud: sigh. I remember when Final Fantasy 7 used to be about me.

Cid: Oh shut up. At least you're still alive.

Cloud: I haven't even been in this fic in ages. I've been mentioned like... twice since I disappeared. Whatever happened to me anyway?

Cid: Shut yer damn trap! I died in Search For the Promised One! And now my death's been cheapened by me continuously returnin' as a damn ghost!

Cloud: But at least you had a good death scene. I just sort of fell off-

Cid: 'Course I got a good death scene, ya pinhead!

Cloud: As I was saying, I just sort of fell off the ma-

Cid: Yeah yeah. No one cares. Go be a whiny little bishonen somewhere else. No one wants ta hear it!

Cloud: But-

Cid: Arg! Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy! There! I said the damn disclaimer, now shut this idiot up!

Chapter Forty Eight

The Inevitable

Aeris walked about the Shinra encampment with a smile on her face, and a basket of flowers in hand. She put as much bounce into her step as possible, pronouncing it just _so_, showing the soldiers that she was obviously happy in the face of all this danger. A hostile army ahead and behind, and firmly securing a superior position. In the mountains, Shinra controlled the valley. But out there, the Tali Hishna as she and Rufus had named them, were dominating the higher ground. Even armed with inferior weaponry, they still massively outnumbered Rufus' army, and were very capable of dropping large rocks from above. Still Aeris' face betrayed no hint of despair, and the soldiers looked for it. Their morale was low, but seeing the Cetra who was so close to their President practically dancing around the campsite eased their worries.

"Hi Gerald!" she said to the lieutenant guarding Rufus' tent. Unlike the President of Shinra Inc., Aeris took the time to actually learn the names of the guards and not just their ranks. "Is Rufus still upset?"

The soldier saluted her, but the second guard, who Aeris couldn't quite remember the name of since they'd never really spoken, stood on the other side of the tent flap and refused to acknowledge her. Less than half the men in the camp were like that, but it still irked her. Cold and unresponsive. She tried to get along with them, but some people just didn't want friends.

"A little," Gerald answered. The man was little more than a boy. According to his story, he had suffered the tragic fate of so many boys his age. He had wanted to be like Sephiroth, left home to join Soldier, and ended up as a Shinra guard. But there seemed to be a part of him that desperately wanted to be something more than Sephiroth now. Something more like… Cloud. "The _President_ is still upset, ma'am. He gave us orders not to let anyone inside his tent. Especially you. Sorry, ma'am."

She rolled her eyes at his _ma'am_ing. It had become a constant joke between them. He was always formal, and she was always trying to get him to stop and call her by her name. "It's okay. He just needs time. I told him something he didn't want to hear, and he didn't react to it well."

The other guard grunted, as if to say _No kidding_, and Gerald just shrugged. "If you told it to him, ma'am, then I guess it needed telling."

"When was the last time he left the tent?"

"Well, actually, he left just-"

He was cut off by the other guard who said, "I'm sure that the President's comings and goings are _none_ of Ms. Gainsborough's concern."

"Actually," Aeris said, pulling a paper from the basket she was carrying and handed it to Gerald, "I'm sure you'll find this says quite the opposite."

The lieutenant took the paper and began to read, and whistled. The other guard peered over, and asked, "What's it say?"

"It's the terms of agreement on the truce between Shinra and Avalanche. Point three says that ma'am has … here, I'll quote it. '_I invite the Cetra, Aeris Gainsborough…_' That's ma'am here… '_to observe any details of Shinra's activities to ensure that this company will bring no harm to Avalanche. She will be given access to any file in Shinra's database that she wishes, and will be treated with the utmost respect.'"_

"This is different. It's an exception."

"I'm not so sure," Gerald said. "Says right here at the bottom that '_this point is non-negotiable._'"

The guard didn't seem to like it. He looked as if he were about to say something, and then stopped, standing rigidly and saluting. Gerald did like-wise after a moment, and Aeris stiffened, realizing that Rufus was behind her, and not, in fact, hiding in his tent. She turned to face him and gasped.

Mostly he was the same man, save for two dreadfully drastic changes. The first were his eyes. They were colder, almost indifferent to everything he looked at, not impassioned by the idea of his Empire like they seemed in more recent days. They were devoid of life, as if something inside of him had given up, and no longer cared.

The second change was far more obvious. Along his cheeks were red lines that came from beneath his skin, like veins. They occasionally pulsed with some sort of unearthly touch. She had never seen the signs before, but she remembered her mother telling her of it once. It was the sign of a Cetra Warrior, the Mark of Blood Letting. It was a sign that something inside of him had internally changed. No longer was his Cetra magic of beneficial and healing capabilities. Now it was, for lack of a better term, Black Magic. But how had he done it? He shouldn't have even known it existed, let alone known how to do it.

"Rufus…" she said. "What have you done?"

"What have I done? No, Aeris. What have _you_ done?"

"You're a Cetra Warrior now. You carry the Mark of Blood Letting. Rufus… you've turned yourself into a killer. How did you…?" she let the question trail on, afraid of the answer.

"The Yenta Pree showed me."

She paled. Her throat suddenly felt dry, and she had trouble breathing. She had been terrified something like this would happen, but had never dreamed that it really would. She had thought Rufus changed, a man more enlightened. A man who wasn't his father.

"Why?" she asked.

"They're going to win," he said simply. "We may have superior technology, but they have numbers, and the drive to win, to succeed. Their ambition far outstrips my own. We are alike in so many ways. We cannot defeat them in an outright confrontation, not in the long run. They cannot be destroyed. So I went to them late last night, and spoke with them. They are not unreasonable. Any of my men who wish to join them can. Any who wish to leave with you may. To spread the word of course. The Tali Hishna are coming, and we will subjugate all."

Aeris took a step towards him and placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry it had to be this way. I thought you were better than this. I really had hope for you."

"Save your hope for yourself. I am giving you a week head start. Then I will be coming for you. Consider that your time to think on this. Join me. Forget about Cloud. Come to my side, and we will rise amongst the Tali Hishna. With me, we can recreate the world in whatever way we see fit."

She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry."

And she turned away from him, and began walking away, towards Kalm. And as word spread in the Shinra camp, the offer to follow Rufus or follow Aeris, sides were drawn.

Author's Note:

Sorry this took so long. Had a three day party, and nothing got done at all during that time. Next up is… not Reno! But the wacky adventures of Cait Sith! (gasp and shock! I didn't forget about him after all!)


	49. Necessary Risks

Reno: So, I hear you're getting the spotlight this chapter.

Reeve: Yes. Yes I am.

Reno: Attention whore.

Reeve: No more than you. Heh heh.

Reno: Grr.. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Chapter Forty Nine

Necessary Risks

"Stay in hiding," Cait said to himself, rolling his robotic eyes as best he could. When Reno had said that, Cait had honestly thought that would mean he'd get a nice, comfortable hiding place. He had no nerves, and no mechanisms to register pain or discomfort, but when Reno had firmly stuffed him into a footlocker filled with dirty socks and told him to stay there, the robotic toy decided finding another hiding spot was in order.

Of course, any place in the Turk offices was out of the question. Trask was now constantly there, always hovering over somebody's shoulder. Yuffie was similarly banned, since she was still a wild card that Hojo and Trask knew nothing about. But at least she could just disguise herself as a Shinra soldier and pretend to be under orders from Reno or Elena whenever someone asked her why she wasn't as her post. Cait wasn't so lucky. He looked a little too much like a small, bipedal cat that was currently on Shinra's Most Wanted list.

The first logical place to hide was the air ducts again, but those were being closely monitored, and rooms were being randomly searched. So now Cait Sith sat inside of a Robo-guard that he had shanghaied and hotwired. A devilish smile was on his feline face as he manipulated the large, over-bearing robot and forced it to walk down the corridors, as if patrolling. A Shinra Robo-guard wasn't meant to be piloted, but with the correct manipulation of wires, and a console controller stolen from one of Reno's gaming systems had rectified that problem very nicely. Now, as Reeve peered out a small hole in the Robo-Guard's chest, he nearly cackled with delight as he successfully manipulated the twelve-foot tall mech-like robot to do his bidding.

He hummed absently as he made his way out the Shinra building and down the street towards the Underwater Reactor. It wasn't unusual to see Robo-guards patrolling from the Shinra main building to the Underwater Reactor, but Cait still felt unusually exposed as he made his way down the street. He could have used the elevator in the Shinra building to get to the Reactor, but it was more than likely being monitored extensively, perhaps even scanned regularly. The elevator on the street level had no such scanning systems however.

So it was a few minutes later that Cait Sith was in the storage area of the Underwater Reactor, surveying the wreckage of the computer that had once housed Hojo's consciousness and the Cait Sith diagnostic program. There wasn't much left. Hojo had done a fair job in destroying it. On the other side of the room lay pieces of broken Cait Sith units, scattered about and left as they were. They hadn't been destroyed by engineers with precision, or taken apart by mechanics. No, they'd been propped up in front of a firing squad and been cut down. Defenceless dolls torn apart by machine gun fire and shredded.

Cait swore.

He'd come down here in the hope of salvaging some parts, maybe try to figure out a way to use some old parts to figure out how Hojo had done what he did and switch bodies again.

Muttering, the cat steered his commandeered Robo-Guard out of the room and down the hall. A bad mood was starting to sink in. First, he'd lost his memories and been manipulated by Rufus. Then he'd gotten said memories back, but at the expense of his body, which was now being controlled by Hojo. And of course he'd been taken into custody shortly afterwards, and when the Turks to freed him from the imprisonment they had basically put him in, Shera had died in the process. Oh, and Reno was probably billing him for the rescue.

The last three months had sucked.

He slowly made his way down the corridor when he heard a voice yelling. His voice. Or rather, his old voice. Stopping short, Cait listened in.

"Those damned Turks!" Hojo yelled. "They know! They're hiding that cat somewhere. They must be. But the question is… how? How are they doing it?"

"A third operative, perhaps?" another voice said, a cold male one. Probably Trask. "There are always four Turks. Perhaps Reno has a fourth Turk that we do not know about?"

"Interesting theory. Continue."

"I think it is Abner Owen," the voice said with some measure of contempt.

"Who?"

"Abner Owen. He goes by another alias now. He was in Soldier, as a Covert Operative. I fought alongside and with him many times. And then he supposedly died."

"Supposedly?" Hojo said. The man sounded amused.

"Yes. Owen was originally a Turk, and after being in Soldier, after getting a real taste of battle, he got weak. He wanted to leave, rejoin the Turks. So he had someone, I suspect Tseng, the former leader of the Turks, a brutally efficient killer and someone everyone in Shinra looked up to, arrange his death. Abner Owen died. And in his place came Rudolph Seirath, the man people call 'Rude.'"

Cait Sith nearly gasped at this. He sort of remembered Heidegger bragging about a prized Soldier Operative named Owen, and then despairing at the man's death during a bombing made by Avalanche. Something akin to a frown came over Cait Sith's face as the pieces came together. Trask was right. Avalanche never would have bombed a guard station like Tseng had reported. Owen's death was not on their hands. He was still very much alive.

"Interesting idea. But Reeve's memories indicate the Rude defected to join Avalanche."

Trask snorted. "Owen would never do such a thing. Leave a position where he tests himself daily for one in a group of unloved freedom fighters who will one day be killed? Unlikely."

"Then how do you know that Owen and Seirath are the same man?"

"Rudolph has a bearing to him. A warrior's bearing. He moves a certain way, fights a certain way. His identity is screamed out with every action his body makes. It's him."

Cait Sith steered the Robo-Guard to peek around the corner so he could get a better look. He was tempted to just raise one of the robot's arms and fire a barrage of bullets at them. But then he'd never get his body back. He'd be stuck in the Cait Sith doll forever.

Was it worth it? Was losing his own body forever a necessary risk? A necessary sacrifice?

No. If he killed Hojo this way, he'd still win. He'd have robbed Reeve of one of the very things that made him who he was, and he wouldn't allow that. Instead, he continued to listen.

"If you knew it was him all along, then why didn't you report it to Shinra?"

"Because, Professor, I wanted to kill him."

Hojo let out a laugh, and then said, "You've just given me an idea, Trask. If the Turks are against us, then we must find a way to neutralize them."

Cait gulped, and realized he had to hear this. If he couldn't kill them here and now, then the very least he could do was find out what threat they posed, and try to minimize it by warning Reno.

"I could kill them," Trask supplied.

"No, my strong friend, you could not. Against any one of them, I suspect you would emerge victorious. But against two of them? Three? No, Turks are among the best. I will not risk you so. I have another idea."

"What is your idea, Professor? Surely I can take care of them by myself."

Hojo wheeled on Trask, and something came into his hand, a controller of some kind. The impersonator pressed down on a button, and Trask suddenly fell down, screaming in pain and clutching the back of his neck.

"There are limits to how much I allow my creations to question and disrespect me, Trask! You should know this! Perhaps I should let you face off against all three Turks. I would be greatly amused to see you get slaughtered. From what Reeve remembers of the Turks, even the newest and most inexperienced of them is a killing machine. Did you know that reports say Elena is a better spell caster than you? Or that Reno is judged to be just as fast as you? Or worse, that Rude Seirath, the man you so lust to kill, is just as strong as you? Combine those three, as well as their ability to work in a cohesive unit that knows how to work together, and you have a force that you cannot overcome."

Finally Hojo released the button, and Turk slowly stood up, albeit slowly.

"Know this. The Turks frequently gave Avalanche a good fight. And Avalanche, if all accounts are to be believed, defeated Sephiroth, and you, Trask, could _never_ defeat Sephiroth. You will always be second best to me, Trask, and I am disappointed you are all I have to work with. Now tell me, does this blasted facility have anything worth calling a laboratory?"

"Yes, Professor. Rufus came up with a lab that is able to perform the Soldier process-"

"I remember. Or rather, Reeve remembers. He was there when Rufus had it done. That will have to do. My plan won't take long. Just some choice machines, as well as a the medical reports of the history of the Turks."

"What would you need that for, Professor?"

Hojo lifted the device that had caused Trask so much pain before, and the man flinched. Cait Sith was on the edge of his make-shift seat, awaiting the madman's response. "The Turks are among the best, Trask. But I'm going to have you fight _alongside_ the best."


	50. Holding Out For A Hero

Author's Note:

I don't own Final Fantasy or "Holding Out For a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler. Final Trinity is coming. (I hadn't said that in a while, so I figured I should)

Chapter Fifty

Holding Out For a Hero

As the siege of Fort Condor continued, and Rude trained the Red Wings, Tifa made her way through the desolate countryside surrounding the area, a backpack slung over her shoulders. She knew she had to get away from the area as soon as possible, but to where? Kalm? Or was it safer to head to Junon, the closer destination? Or did the White Scourge, knowing that Junon was closer, have that route blocked?

As she headed north, slipping around whatever sentries she saw, she considered her options. She had to travel by daylight. Against the albinos, that was the time they were most blind. During the night, she would carefully have to hide and stay on her guard, get as little sleep as possible.

She had been travelling for a day before she realized that she was being followed.

There was no evidence of it. No figures in the distance, no sounds of soldiers talking with each other. No shadows, no sounds. Just a feeling. A feeling of being hunted. It was a feeling that Tifa did not like.

She wondered if she should turn and face it, or continue onwards and try to escape whatever was following her. Somewhere behind was an enemy. And somewhere ahead was Cloud, who didn't know what kind of trouble the world was in. He had mentioned a fear that something was coming. But did he know the full scope of what was happening? Fort Condor and Cosmo Canyon under siege, and maybe worse?

Probably not. So she changed her direction, and began to head to Kalm.

As she traveled, she realized that Rude was right in picking her to search for Cloud. While she interacted better with the Red Wings, they saw Rude as an unstoppable force, and looked up to him more. She was someone they could get comfortable with. He was a man that inspired them to be their best, and that the enemy could be defeated. And, as she made her way over difficult, rocky terrain, she amended to herself that she was better for this because of her history as a guide. Rude was a city man to the core. Sure, he had wilderness training, but his home was the urbane. But Tifa? She was far more in touch with the wilderness than any Shinra employee, ex or otherwise, could ever be.

Except, she amdended to herself, maybe Vincent. That man seemed to know everything about everything.

Every once in a while she would stop and mask her trail, or double back and create false ones, always trying to elude whatever was chasing her. She smiled to herself each time she did, thinking it a grand game, despite the danger.

Even as she ran from whatever was chasing her, never seeming to stop until well into the night, she managed time for some private reflection. She was amazed at how much Rude had matured, if men ever really did. He'd managed to put his testosterone away for a minute, and realized that they needed Cloud.

A smile spread across Tifa's face as she stared up at the night sky, thinking about it. But she couldn't help but wonder.

_Cloud's good, but against an army of thousands, what can he do that we can't?_

The question followed her as she stopped to rest, climbing a tree and slipping into sleep as she rested on one of the branches. Her dreams were filled with images of albinos everywhere and burning everything to the ground, and all the while, Rude and Cloud fought each other, ignoring the plight of others, since neither could really do anything about it.

She awoke with a start, gasping for breath, and nearly fell off the branch she had been sitting on. Leaning more firmly against the trunk, she was about to go back to sleep, but stopped. Something nagged at her, a warrior's instinct, and she stopped herself from going back to sleep and carefully looked down.

And there, standing below and looking directly at her, was an albino with two swords at his hips, a smile on his face. "I was wondering when you'd wake up and notice me. I've been here for an hour."

Hopping down from the tree, she landed gracefully, and assumed a fighting stance. "Then why didn't you attack?"

"And lose the chance to test myself against a real warrior? I think not. I must say, you put up a grand chase. I couldn't even begin to make sense of your trail. Starting here, stopping there, doubling back, always leading me in circles. Quite impressive."

"Then how did you find me?"

He raised one hand slowly, non-threateningly, and touched one of his ears. "Funny thing about people who live underground for a very long time. The eyesight isn't so good, but the hearing and ability to sense vibrations through the ground is extraordinarily good. Will you grace me with your name?"

"So you can know who you're about to kill?" she asked, having heard this speech from many men before who had thought themselves formidable.

"Nonsense. I'd never kill such a beautiful creature as you. I just thought I should give you the chance to surrender, and if you happen to not be possessed of common sense, then take you prisoner until you choose to swear to follow Mother."

"So, you White Scourge are a group of mama's boys, eh?"

The albino smiled, and adjusted his hands on his belt, shifting it around a little. "You still haven't told me your name."

"It's Tifa. And are you flirting with me, Mister…?"

"Graehan. Of the Triad. And of course I am. Who wouldn't?"

Tifa smiled, finding that despite all odds, she actually liked this enemy. "You're one of the Triad? I thought you looked familiar. You looked a little different without having a lackey at your side choking to death from a crushed larynx."

Graehan actually laughed at the remark. "That would have been Claiveh. Amazing fighter, too bad he never was all that smart. Never liked the brute anyway."

Graehan's swords abruptly sprang into his hands, and he made a lunge at Tifa. She struck the flats of both blades with open palms, deflecting them away from herself. The man made an approving nod. He stepped back and said, "I must have you."

"Too bad I'm taken," she responded, coming at him with a three kick combo, the first starting low, aimed at his shins, the second at his chest, and the last at his head. He dodged all easily, and swung both swords low, both of which Tifa narrowly jumped over. Even as she did, she pulled back a fist and delivered a solid blow to the man's forehead.

Graehan stumbled back. "Very impressive. You belong to the bald one, then? The one who killed Claiveh?"

"I don't _belong_ to anyone!" she growled, offended at his wording. She came forward swinging, and in that moment of anger, one of Graehan's swords slipped past her defences and nicked her on the waist. She retreated, realizing how vulnerable she was.

"You could have done more damage than that," she said incredulously, feeling at the small wound. "Are you playing with me?"

"If by intentionally saying things to anger you and leave you off balance? Then yes. If by taunting you because of arrogance on my part? No. I told you that I mean to take you alive."

"Why? Because you want me? Because you want to…" She couldn't even bring herself to say it, shuddering.

"I suppose you think me evil, then? I'm a gentleman, I assure you. If and _when_ I take you prisoner, no harm will come to you. I only follow the Will of Mother."

Tifa was shocked by those words. The way they were pronounced, the emphasis on 'Mother', the way it was said. She'd heard it before. Sephiroth had said it the exact same way.

"You mean Jenova?" she said, and the expression on his face confirmed it.

She waited for no response, just attacked in a wild flurry of blows. Graehan was careful to parry only with the flats of his blades, not meaning to do Tifa harm, and she saw his weakness for what it was. He was a killer, yes, but something in him was also exactly what he had said he was. He was a gentleman. And he would not allow any serious harm to come to a woman. Especially an unarmed one.

The two were in full swing, fighting each other with almost everything they had. But Graehan's skill, held slightly back as it was, defied Tifa's. She hadn't seen a swordsman this amazing other than Cloud, or Sephiroth. To think that the White Scourge had such a warrior on their side was frightening.

A dozen moves and half a dozen nicks and cuts on Tifa later, the woman slumped back. She was tiring quickly, and had no idea why. Graehan winked at her, and held up one of his blades, answering her unspoken question, "Sleeping poison on the blades."

She growled in frustration and tried to charge at him, but found she lacked the strength. She managed a few steps before falling to one knee. Shaking her head, she tried to get a rumbling noise out of her ears.

"You're a proud woman, and an excellent fighter. I commend you. Few have ever been able to strike me. Join us, and you will take Claiveh's spot in the Triad. Convince your lover, the bald-headed one to join as well, and you can remove that incompetent bitch, Crya, from the Triad as well, and he can join us as well. What say you?"

Tifa had trouble forming an answer, but the rumbling sound was turning steadily into the sound of a loud engine. It sounded so familiar. She glanced to where the sound was coming from and smiled.

"I say you throw down your weapons and surrender to me."

Graehan, who had obviously heard the noise before her, finally looked to see what it was, only to find himself staring into the headlight of a motorcycle as it roared forward. He barely managed to get his swords up to parry the massive blade of Ultima Weapon as Cloud drove by. He was knocked backwards at the force of the blow, falling down.

Tifa tried to move to restrain Graehan, but stumbled. Everything was getting fuzzy. She looked up to see Cloud off his motorcycle and swinging his weapon at Graehan, the man barely able to keep his balance while engaging against such a massive sword.

One of Graehan's swords went end over end, falling to the ground, and Cloud's sword moved in for the kill.

"Don't kill him!" Tifa managed to shout before she fell unconscious. The world turned to darkness as the poison finally overcame her.

Author's Note:

I'm a beast today. Three chapters so far, and I **may** do a forth. All at work, too, while I'm supposed to be working. Hrrrmmm… oh well. : P


	51. Traitor

Author's Note:

I started to write this chapter as a Rufus one, because I couldn't think of a Cosmo Canyon team one. And then I realized, yes, I do have an idea for one. And it kind of made me sad, because I suddenly realized that I was getting around to that point. The point where... yes, kiddos, we're in the final run. Promised Empire is coming to a close. I'll be sad to see it go, and I know (some of) you will be, too. I'd like to take the time to thank Konie Hime, Macky, Melan Blue, Jaded Echo, Adelide, Nisus, MarcustheBloody, corkyciggs, and even that silly ass Jaysinya (: P) for taking the time to read and review my story. I'd thank the gang from SftPO, too, but I don't know if they still read my stuff, heh. Anyway, as I've been saying... Final Trinity is coming, so don't despair too much. I don't own Final Fantasy.

Chapter Fifty One

Traitor

Barret stood on the walls of Cosmo Canyon stroking his metal hand. It hadn't been until recent days that he'd really begun to appreciate his gun-arm now that he no longer had it. His people, the refugees of Corel, and by some extension, Gold Saucer and Cosmo Canyon, expected him to be a leader. But they also needed him as a warrior, and now, here he stood, awaiting the coming of night.

Vincent said this would be it. This would be the night where someone would try to open the back door of the canyon and try to let the Tali Hishna in. Red was going to walk the walls alongside Vincent making themselves as obvious as possible. Barret's job was to do something along similar lines, but with a twist.

A roar erupted from the canyon, and Barret started. The Tali Hishna were early. It wasn't night yet. Doubt filled him as he wondered what to do. Go through with his part of the plan, or stay on the walls and fight? If they were early, they were obviously up to something.

He reading his hammer, pulling it out. "Screw it."

"Don't you dare stay here to help us," Vincent hissed.

Barret whirled about to see the black-clad man standing behind him, wings outstretched. The man had a menacing look in his eye.

"They're up to somethin'!" Barret protested.

"Of course they are. I felt a shift in power earlier this day. The Tali Hishna have gained a new ally, or a new power. They seek to test it this day. Do not delay! Get to the Gi Cavern door!"

Barret hesitated and looked at the incoming army, and noticed their new advantage. "Holy shit, is that what I think it is?"

Vincent glanced over and said, "Clever. Blind folds. They're used to being all but blind, so someone has taught them how to regain their normal sight."

"One of their own?" Barret asked.

"Doubtful. Someone from outside taught them this. Underground there would never be reason to further hamper your vision. Someone intelligent came up with this. But it doesn't matter now! Do what I told you to do! And remember... if anything goes wrong, we will retreat to the library! The signal for the retreat will be Red XIII howling as loudly as he can. Now go to the cavern!"

Barret nodded one last time and retreated from the wall, taking three steps at a time on his way down. When he got to the final five, he jumped, and made a break for the stairs leading to the Gi Cavern entrance. When he reached those, he similarly took those stairs three at a time until he made it to the top and into the tunnel. Once inside, he ducked down a small side passage by the door, making sure to pull some boxes that had been left there for him in advance for him to hide behind.

He didn't have to wait long before he heard the grumbling of a malcontent Elder.

"Are you sure this will work?" Frennal complained, and someone grunted.

Barret frowned. Not who he'd expected. He had been sure it was Dorret. Or maybe it was? Frennal was talking to somebody.

"I'd hate to let them in and have them kill us. I'm not a brave man. I admit it. I want to live. And if this will let us live..." The man rambled on for a while, and Barret, beginning to wonder who the other conversant was, slowly inched his way up along the top of the box to look.

And nearly revealed himself with his sharp intake of breath.

Dio.

And Marlene, tied and gagged, was slung over his shoulder.

Barret ducked back down, his heart racing. He had to resist leaping over the boxes and killing Dio right there.

How, though? And why? Why would Dio betray them to the Tali Hishna? Why would he work alongside Frennal? He cast his mind back, trying desperately to look for any clue that may be there.

_Barret grunted. "Think we'll make it?"_

_Dio shook his head sadly. "No. Reports of attacks on the Canyon have come to me from my scouts. I've lost about half of them already, too. Good fighting men. Men we can't afford to lose. I think that those damned albinos have been watching us, waiting for us to get deep into this place so they can attack us at night."_

_"Shouldn't we be tryin' to make some sort o' defenses then? Somethin' we can use to hide behind when the attack comes?" Barret looked back to the people, and saw them only setting up their tents, but no fortifications._

_"They won't do it. No, that's not fair of me. They can't do it. Their homes have been lost, Wallace. They've been driven away by an unknown enemy. They have no morale. If I told them that an attack was going to come tonight, they'd scatter now. They aren't fighters. All we have is you, that cat, a few of my old security guards, and myself. Tell your companion to be on the look out tonight. All my men are going to be alert, but I figure that cat will see any attack coming first."_

Dio had specifically not tried to mount a defense. He knew the attack was coming... no, he even knew _where_ it was coming, and he hadn't done anything. He'd purposefully led them into a trap.

_"Now that was a battle!" the leader of Gold Saucer declared. "That force easily numbered two thousand, and all of them dead!"_

_Vincent snorted, and Barret gave Dio a funny look, then shrugged. Red XIII loped up to join them, his tongue lolling out in a almost canine smile. Suddenly, his feline dignity asserted itself, and he sat back on his haunches and rubbed a paw across his scarred face, then said, "How many wounded did we take?"_

_Dio looked about him, as if just noticing that some of their people had died, and Barret answered, "Too damn early to tell. I'd say we lost 'bout a quarter o' the people from Corel and Gold Saucer, and 'bout half o' the people from Cosmo Canyon."_

And there, Dio had been far more concerned about the fight than about the lives of others. Barret had a vibe then, but never followed through on it.

_Dio nodded. "The same thing happened with Gold Saucer. Someone let them in. Opened up the elevator from the prison below and hid a large raiding party til everyone was asleep."_

Barret inwardly swore. Of course! Only one man had access to the controls of that elevator. He should have known right at that moment that Dio had been behind that. And now was behind a similar scheme in Cosmo Canyon.

It all made sense now.

And right now, Barret wanted to show how much he wanted to show Dio by slamming him in the face with his hammer. But not while he had Marlene. And worse, Vincent had told Dio the activation code to deactivate the bomb. But if Barret waited any longer, they might get that door opened, and the Tali Hishna would pour through.

His daughter, or his people.

Standing up and letting loose a growl of pure rage, Barret charged from the boxes. Dio was clearly shocked, Marlene obviously happy at seeing her Daddy, and Frennal was busy hacking away at the keypad.

"Traitor!" he yelled in defiance, meaning to strike Dio down.

And then the world erupted in fire and earth.

He was rocked and thrown backwards as the cavern shook all about him. He lost sight of everything as torches were knocked from their rungs, and the flare of fire went out, buried under the rock that sealed the tunnel.

Barret was back on his feet instantly, swinging his hammer fiercely. It was blocked by a sword-stroke from Dio. Even as he pressed his strength down on the hammer, their two weapons locked, Barret saw Marlene, safe and unharmed. He smiled inwardly. Outwardly, he growled all his anger at Dio.

"How could you?" he spat. "Did you do this so you could live?"

Dio shook his head. "No. I did this so I could have a final stand. Just me and waves upon waves of enemies, trying to get around me while I defended the only way in. I did it in Gold Saucer, and they beat me back. The Tali Hishna... no, the Yenta Pree... did something to me. It put something in my brain to make me think it was a good idea. And then ... Barret, just give me this? Let me fight them off. I failed Gold Saucer. If I take my stand here, I'll win this time. I know it!"

"You don't know shit!" Barret erupted, "The Yenta Pree fucked wit' yo' mind, and you're lettin' it!"

"No! I could have won! But... why'd the cavern explode? I told Frennal the damn password! You changed it, didn't you?"

Barret shook his head. "Password's the same as it always was. Only, I think Vince had your number the whole time. The password wasn't meant to deactivate the bomb. It was meant to detonate it."

Dio let out something close to a wail, and fell backwards and dropped his sword. "Kill me."

"What?"

"You heard me! The damn thing is in my mind! They put something in me, and now they're manipulating me! I want it out!"

"Dio, I can't-"

The tunnel shook again as something came loose. Barret looked up, and saw a large rock that had been supporting the entire ceiling begin to fall. He instantly raised his arms and braced himself.

The rock came down hard, and the only thing that saved him from being crushed entirely was his cybernetic arm and massive strength holding the rock up. He felt like he was slowly being crushed, and knew that as soon as he let go, he and everyone else in the tunnel would be dead.

"Get out of here, Dio," Barret managed through all the pain. "Grab Marlene and get... the hell... out!"

Dio shook his head and stood up. "I'm not leaving you behind."

"What're you... gonna... do? Lift the damn... rock... yerself?"

But even as he said it, Dio was already putting his hands on the rock, heaving upwards. The man made an agonized cry as he lifted, and Barret felt the weight come off his shoulders. Dio immediately fell to his knees, and Barret had to duck to prevent getting smashed with a large piece of rock.

"Get... out... of... here! Yenta Pree... can only make me... do what... it's ordered! You have a family... Get your daughter out of here!"

Barret looked Dio in the eyes, and for the first time, felt sympathetic to the man who had betrayed them. "I'm sorry, Dio."

The sound of Red XIII howling filled the chamber over that of falling rocks and shifting stone.

"Save... your damn... apologies and pity... Just... godammit... Get out of here!"

Barret nodded once, moved to pick up Marlene, and began to retreat from the tunnel, all the while hearing Red XIII's howls ahead. As soon as he made it to the exit of the cavern, he heard the sound of falling rock.


	52. The Ancients

Author's Notes:

Wow. 6954 words. That's how much I wrote the other day. Granted, some of that was disclaimer, and some of it was flashback, but still... wow. Four chapters. Final Trinity is coming. I don't own Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Fifty Two

Ancients

The Yenta Pree aspect known as Ephain watched coldly from the open tent flap the departure of half of Rufus' army. She managed a look of complete disdain and contempt for everyone that marched away, her eyes always scanning for the Cetra witch. In a way, Ephain thought should thank this Aeris for spurning Rufus and driving the ambitious makeshift Cetra into the arms of the Tali Hishna. And in every other, she felt she should destroy the Cetra, calling down lightning and fire to incinerate her where she stood.

But she couldn't do that. Not yet. Rufus, though she loathe to admit it, still had feelings for Aeris, and he would retaliate if she were harmed. Her death would have to come later, when Rufus was finished being molded.

"Come away from there," Rufus said from behind. "You'll only scare more soldiers to her side. They mustn't see you. Not yet."

"I beg to differ. Let them all gaze upon the Yenta Pree, and know what it is to face the Tali Hishna."

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she suppressed the urge to lash out at Rufus as he physically pulled her from the tent flap and closed it behind her. Outrage filled her. No one touched any of the Yenta Pree.

Her other two aspects felt her anger and helped fuel it. They did not approve of her decision to take Rufus in, and they let her know through the Link how much they wanted her to kill him now. He was a threat. A danger. He would betray them.

She shoved the intruding thoughts aside and focused on the man in front of her. The coldness in his face that he had shown to Aeris was gone, replaced by a more peaceful look. He almost even smiled, and she found herself almost smiling back.

She remembered when she had found him just two days ago after he had left the safety of his encampment, screaming in a fit of rage.

_The blond man let out another bellow of anger as he stumbled past the line of machines surrounding his camp. Ephain watched it coldly, and readied her staff. Soldiers all around her watched the scene with an expression of mixed interest. They half wanted to rush down and slay this man they had seen as a devil in battle, and they half wanted to see what sort of madness had overcome him. She recognized the madness the man was suffering. She could almost smell the alcohol on him from where she stood in the safety of the cliffs. The Tali Hishna, though anxious to rush down and kill him, stayed their hand. Despite the first probing elements of the limitless hordes of the Tali Hishna being comprised wholly of the most fanatical and loyal, even they knew when to draw in their zeal where the Yenta Pree were concerned._

He must be killed, _Ephain heard one of the aspects of the Link say. Probably Veishan. That was his solution to everything._

_There was a hesitance to the second voice through the Link, but eventually Dweir said, _Agreed.

_Ephain mused at the idea. Dweir was known for using his illusions to manipulate and control people. And yet, he agreed with the never so subtle solution that Veishan had put forth. She had always been the middle ground, a compromise between brute force and overuse of subtlety. And her two counterparts were both demanding the use of force._

_On a whim, she decided to ignore them both and continued to watch the strange man. He yelled at any of the men who followed them, and most backed away. When three of them did not and continued to step forward, obviously anxious to make him return to camp and save him from his inebriated state and its foolish actions, the man produced a long, metal rod from under his coat and pointed it at them. They immediately ducked down, and the sound of thunder filled the air. _

_The Tali Hishna ducked, fearful of the weapons of the surface dwellers, but Ephain allowed no emotion to betray her. She simply watched as the man came closer towards the dusty area that was littered with the remains of many of her warriors. _

"_Come on!" he screamed. "I killed my father, you white dogs! What makes you think I won't kill you? I'll kill you all! All of you!"_

_Ephain could barely make sense of his ramblings, knowing he was strong with drink. Instead, she watched impassively four hours, until finally he dropped the thunder-stick and collapsed, weeping._

_Something had happened to him. What, she didn't know, nor particularly care. But she saw an opportunity. She could kill him now as Dweir and Veishan, her two Yenta Pree brothers, had suggested. Or, she could take a different path._

_She made a gesture of her staff and let out a small surge of power and began to levitate. She floated down from the Cliffside and towards the fallen man. And as she got closer, her eyes widened. _

He's beautiful, _she whispered through the link._

_Veishan hissed, and Dweir made no sound. He probably already knew what she had planned. _

_Before she even landed, the man stopped moving. She could see his face, but his eyes were closed. Even so, he said to her, "Have you come to kill me?"_

"_No," she said._

"_Why not? I am your enemy." He opened his eyes and got to his knees, drawing his sword as he did. "I will kill you if you don't."_

_She laughed, even as she sent a spell to scan his origins. The man was Cetra, but… not quite. His powers were rudimentary at best, barely tapped, but there was potential there. Not enough to be allowed into the Link and become Yenta Pree by the over-exacting Veishan, but enough to be of use._

Kill him! Do not let your foolish attraction do something equally foolish! _Veishan screamed. Dweir still seemed silent. Perhaps he was busy with his own manipulations?_

_Ephain moved a hand forward to the man's face and gently touched his golden hair. She'd never seen hair like it before coming to the surface. Always before it had been white. _

"_Why do you wish to die?" she asked the man._

"_There is nothing for me. You will win, I will never get my Empire. And she has rejected me. Nothing for me at all. Just kill me."_

"_Do you know what I am?"_

"_You are the Yenta Pree. You are Death." Even as he spoke the words foretelling his doom, he smiled at her._

_A smile played on her lips, and some of the coldness faded from her eyes. There was something about this man… she could use him. Yes. Use his Cetra potential, turn him into a pawn. Even show him how to obtain the Mark of Blood Letting. That was easy enough. _

"_You are wrong. I am Ephain, and I am your saviour."_

The memory, oddly enough, was a fond one. She had taken him in, and in two days trained him how to gain the Mark of Blood Letting. He proved an amazing pupil, and all the while, Veishan screamed for his death. Ephain honestly thought he was jealous.

Much like she was jealous of Aeris. She didn't bother to deny her attraction to Rufus. He was ambitious, intelligent, charismatic and powerful. His combat skill alone had earned her respect. In a year, he would be powerful enough with his Cetra magic to rival Veishan. Of course, Veishan was the weakest of the Yenta Pree, but his power was still impressive, even if he handled the Link poorly and still referred to himself as 'we' and allowed her own and Dwear's voices to speak when he did so.

Ephain looked down at Rufus' hand gripped her shoulder and frowned at him. "Do not touch me. None are allowed to touch the Yenta Pree."

"That's not what you told me last night," he said.

She allowed herself to smile. The night previous, another fond memory, tainted only by Veishan intruding with his anger over the Link.

"Veishan hates you," she said.

"He hasn't even met me, and already such animosity. My, my. Not a very friendly man, is he?"

"No more friendly than you. And he has met you."

"Oh?" Rufus asked.

Ephain nodded. "Through the Link. He can see everything I see, feel everything I feel. He knows my every thought. And I know everything he does as well. We share everything through the link. Mind, spirit, body, powers. Everything."

Rufus smirked. "Ah, so he felt last night, hmm?"

If it were possible for a Yenta Pree to blush, Ephain would have done so. "There's so much you don't understand. Our history, our culture, our powers, everything. Veishan hates you because you are Cetra."

"So are you," he said accusingly.

"But we're Cetra who have been touched by Mother. We follow her Cause."

"And what is her 'Cause'? She's dead."

"So you have told me," Ephain said, "and so Veishan himself has confirmed. He fought the one with the large sword, the one who helped with Mother's death."

"Cloud Strife," Rufus growled.

"What is it about this 'Cloud' that angers you so? You and Veishan both hate him, and he manages to keep the reasons concealed from the Link."

"He defeated me," Rufus said. "He defied me, beat me, and took what was rightfully mine."

"You mean Aeris?" Ephain asked coldly.

"She doesn't matter now. Forget her. I am trying. The Tali Hishna are my future now. I wish no part of her."

"Is that so?"

Rufus didn't bother answering with words. He leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. For a man so outwardly cold and cruel, he was surprisingly warm and gentle as he kissed her, leaving it feather light and affectionate.

"Rufus…" a female voice said from the doorway.

Ephain broke the kiss and whirled at the sound of it, her staff appearing in her hand and summoned up her energy to strike the Cetra witch down that had just intruded on them.

Aeris held up her own staff, and a gold nimbus began to surround her. Ephain did not fear her magic. It was defensive only. Useless.

"Stop!" Rufus commanded, and both women immediately lowered their weapons, their auras of power fading.

"I thought you said you didn't care for her," Ephain sneered.

"I don't. What are you doing here, Aeris? I told you to leave. This is Tali Hishna territory now."

"I came to ask you one last time to abandon this course of action," she said. Her eyes never left Ephain's. "Please, Rufus, come with me."

"And what can you offer me, Aeris?"

"Nothing but your salvation."

Rufus' voice betrayed no emotion. It was nearly monotonous in its cadence. "Then you offer nothing that I want."

Aeris moved as if to try to grab Rufus' shoulders and try to shake some sense into him, but Ephain moved and blocked the Cetra's path, her eyes blazing with internal power. Inwardly, she could hear Veishan, as usual, calling for violence, while Dweir seemed content to watch how the situation played out.

"Please, Rufus?" Aeris asked.

"Leave us. I wish no part of you. Tell the world of my coming. Tell everyone that the Tali Hishna are coming. Remember how I _betrayed_ the cause. If I ever see you again, and you still continue to fight me, then I will kill you."

Aeris looked as if she had just been slapped. And Ephain smiled. Rufus was hers, and Aeris knew it. Just to pour salt into the wound, Ephain leaned over and kissed her lover once more. The Cetra turned and fled, and Ephain laughed as she did.

Author's Note:

Erg… I hate Original Characters in fanfiction so much. Unfortunately, you **have** to use them at some points. The Tali Hishna, the Triad, Takkin, Gerald, the Elders… arg! When I did Search For the Promised One, I managed the **entire **story without a single OC. Now I have a plethora of them. Oh well. PE is bigger than SftPO ever could have been, and the need for OCs reflects that. Ah well. I hope I explained 'the Link' well. I'm afraid it didn't come out as well as I'd hoped…


	53. Theft of the Sacred

Author's Note:

Reno: Finally! Back to my sexy POV again!

Reeve: Yeah yeah. Don't get too excited.

Reno: Why not? I rock! All the ladies love me!

Reeve: Yeah, but Rufus is currently getting more than you are.

Reno: Who cares? He's a bad guy right now, and I'm a sexilcious anti-hero, and chicks dig anti-heroes.

Reeve: Tyramir, why must you insist on pairing me with this loser?

Tyramir: If I wanted to pair you with him, I'd right some yao-

Reeve: You shut your filthy mouth!

Tyramir: I'll consider it if you say the disclaimer.

Reeve: Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Tyramir: Dance, little monkey, dance!

Chapter Fifty Three

Theft of the Sacred

"I'm telling you," Reno protested, "the only thing in that foot locker is porn and old gym socks! And it's mine! Dammit, Trask, step away from it now, or I swear I'll pump a round in your other leg!"

Trask ignored him and continued to pry at the small box with his crowbar. Reno actually thought of drawing his pistol and shooting the man. What would be the harm? Well, except to Trask. But that was a loss Reno was willing to take.

Of course, then Hojo would eventually come looking for Trask, and probably with a lot of armed guards. And Reno _knew_ he wouldn't be able to fit a body as large as Trask's into a footlocker. He hated this stealthy 'keep your enemies closer' stuff. He just wished he could put a bullet in Trask, a second one in Hojo, and let the loss of blood and/or sprayed grey matter solve those two problems. Besides, then he could wear that pin he'd bought at the Junon Fair that said 'I Solve My Problems With Violence' without the shame of knowing he had helped in an operation where someone _didn't_ get decorated with all sorts of bullet holes.

Finally, the footlocker gave and Reno started wondering just _how_ he was going to explain a foot and a half tall robotic cat hiding in a foot long footlocker. Trask rifled through the contents, grunted, and said, "You lied to me."

"Listen, I can explain-"

"There is no pornography in here," Trask continued.

_What the fuck? Oh, that little bastard cat! If not for his luck, I'd kill him! I'm in charge of this Op, he's supposed to follow my… oh god. I sound like Tseng. I sound like Tseng in my _own head!_ I'm going to shoot myself. After I shoot Cait, Trask, and Hojo. In that order._

He absently wondered how many bullets and where they'd have to be placed in order to kill the robotic cat as he answered, "Yeah, forgot about that. Lent it to Elena. She loves that kind of stuff."

Trask gave him a sceptical look, and Reno just grinned and shrugged. It was a load of bull. In actuality, he couldn't remember where he'd put his stash of porn, but he wasn't going to let Trask know that there was a potential gold mine of smut floating around the Turk office somewhere. Besides, implying that Elena liked to look at his porn was kind of funny. And hot.

"So, any reason why you're ransacking the Turk Offices?"

"I believe the Cait Sith unit has decided to find sanctuary by hiding in the very lair of those who hunt for him."

"Or, y'could've just said he was right under our noses. Tell you what, Trasky, if, during your search, you find my collection of smut in Elena's locker, undoubtedly right next to her feminine products and unmentionables, I'll actually give you some pay for that botched mission."

"The mission was not botched," Trask said coldly.

"Sure it was. You fucked up. Big time. Didn't get the target, and even took a wound."

"The target was neutralized, and you were the one who gave me the wound."

"Of course I was. How's the leg, by the way?"

"Healed," Trask supplied, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "The doctors managed very well, despite that Materia has seemed to be failing recently."

"Perfect!" Reno drew his gun and shot Trask in the leg for the second time in the past few days. "Go have them look at it again. It looks like it's still bleeding to me. And take that damn Robo-Guard with you," he added, indicating the large robot that was on sentry duty outside the door.

Trask gritted his teeth and said, "What, may I ask, was that for?"

"You're annoying me. Tseng used to beat me up all the time for the exact same reason. Now, question me again, and I'll aim for the kneecap next time. I hear those are a bitch to Cure. Now get outta my sight."

Trask hobbled out, bleeding all over the floor as he went. Reno nearly clapped at the performance. Twice now Trask had been shot, and neither time had he indicated that he felt pain. The Turk filed that away under 'Things to rectify', and began whistling a cheery tune to himself. He sat at his desk, opened up a drawer that was filled with paperwork he'd been putting off doing for the past month, and nearly gasped. So that's where his porn was!

Not even the Robo-Guard that Trask was supposed to take with him clanking into his room could ruin his mood now. Or so he thought until the front hatch opened up and Cait Sith peered out.

"So that's where you were," Reno observed. "Clever."

"Yeah, yeah. I have important news. Hojo's up to something."

"Isn't he always? Where've you been?"

"The Underwater Reactor. I went to see if I could play with any of the Cait Sith units and find out if I can use any of their parts to try to fix my situation, but they were put in front of a firing squad and disassembled that way."

Reno inwardly swore. He was the one who'd ordered it done that way instead of having some fancy engineers play with the robots with overly expensive tools. "And?"

"And I saw Trask and Hojo down there, and they know you're helping me. But get this, they thing Rude's helping you out. They still don't have a clue about Yuffie."

"But they know we have a third person. Shit. Wait, if you overheard Trask and Hojo, then how come you're telling me just now? Trask's been up here for hours."

Cait gestured at the Robo-Guard, seated as he was from the inside of it. "My command over this hunk of tin sort of fizzled out after a while and it went back to work. I had to rewire the entire system while the thing decided to do a patrol."

"So, what's Hojo been up to?"

"He didn't say. Trask asked, but Hojo pulled out a controller and pressed a button. Trask went down faster than a Midgar hooker."

"Fell down, all writhing in pain?"

"Yep."

Reno smiled. His mood was definitely brightening today. "That, my friend, is a little something that was implanted in first generation Soldiers during the Midgar/Wutai war. In order to ensure loyalty after instilling a person with near-super hero power, implants were placed at the base of their skulls. Trask's file said he was a first generation Soldier, but I thought all the behaviour-modifying controls were destroyed. Looks like Hojo decided to keep one."

"So how does that help us?"

"Easy. We get Yuffie to steal it. Then we get to play Shocky-Go-Trask whenever the mood suits me. Which will pretty much be every other second. Unfortunately, we need to know what Hojo's planning. Did he give you any hint?"

"I can't remember. He said something about Sephiroth being better than Trask, needing a lab, saying the Soldier one will do, they were talking about you guys, the Turks, being really good, and something about medical files. I wasn't taking notes."

"You're a robot! Don't you have perfect memory or something?"

"I'm also a cat. Easily distracted with a small attention span. You're lucky I managed to remember any of that _boring_ conversation. I miss being a man."

"I hear you. I wouldn't know what I'd do if I suddenly lost my ability to be me."

Cait huffed, then said, "Have you been monitoring Hojo?"

"A little. He hasn't played with the Soldier labs or anything yet. He made a quick run into the Junon morgue, pulled out a body, and left. I figured it was so he could play 'Mad Scientist' some more, and I'm probably right. But now that I think about it, that's probably important. Think he's gonna try his voodoo science to try to resurrect an army of flunkeys from the dead? How lame would that be?"

"Very."

Reno turned away from Cait and began tapping on his keyboard, pulling up the surveillance video of Hojo in the morgue. Cait hopped out of the robot and onto the desk and began to watch.

The video wasn't very long. Hojo came in, spoke with the guard, the guard left, and then the scientist opened up one of the drawers. He was in the way for Reno to make out whose body it was, but he figured it was probably just some flunky guard anyway. No one important had died recently.

"Can you get a list of whose bodies are in there?" Cait asked.

"Sure," Reno said, hit a few keys, and then swore. "Oh come on! I finally become head Turk, and my clearance still doesn't seem good enough to get me in anywhere."

"What was that?" a voice said from the doorway. They both looked up, and saw Elena standing there.

"Hey, rookie. Nothing much. Hojo's just playing the part of the mad doctor again, and he's digging up bodies. We figure he's going to make his own legion of the stupid by resurrecting random guards that've croaked off. Right now he's only got one body to play with. I wanna figure out whose. For some reason it's classified."

Elena smiled, and said, "That's easy enough to figure out. Just give me a minute."

The woman walked over to her desk, turned on her computer's monitor, and began hitting keys furiously. Reno whistled, and Cait managed to arch an eyebrow. After a while, Elena looked over to them and said, "What? There's a reason why Tseng let me onto the Turks. You think it was because of my 'legendary fighting prowess' or because I look great in the suit?"

"Well, that's why he let _me_ in," Reno said, and Cait snorted.

"You don't even wear the suit properly. You're still messy, even after you were told by Rufus to clean yourself up."

The red-headed Turk grinned and responded, "Yeah, well, Rufus isn't here."

Cait looked as if he were about to retort, when Elena made a sudden cry of anger and the sound of crashing came from her desk. The two looked over immediately and found that she had pushed her monitor off her desk, which was quickly followed by her tower.

"Shit! She's PMSing!" Reno said.

Hopping from Reno's, Cait ran over, leaped onto Elena's, and began trying to calm her down, asking her calmly what was wrong. Reno rolled his eyes. Cait obviously knew _nothing_ of women if he expected rationality to work. Picking up one of his porn mags and rolling it, Reno walked over to Elena and smacked her over the head a few times with it. "Bad rookie! Calm down! No treat!"

Elena's fist hitting him in the face clearly told him how bad of an idea _that_ particular joke was.

"Ow! Fuck!" Reno swore. "Enough with the PMSing, Elena! What would Tseng say if he saw you having this kind of temper tantrum?"

"Maybe you can ask him! That's whose body he stole!"


	54. The Wings of the Phoenix

Author's Notes:

Tseng: Brrraaaaaaiiiins…

Reno: Shut up. Just shut the fuck up. That was my joke first.

Reeve: I don't think he's joking.

Reno: What gave it away? The zombie-ish look in his eye, or the fact that he's gnawing on my head?

Reeve: Heh. I think it's funny because he went for the brain-free head and didn't munch on my obviously superior intellect.

Reno: Right. Just get the fucker off.

Reeve: Will do, as soon as I say the disclaimer and pull out my zombie repellent. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Reno: Uh… why does your zombie repellent look a lot like a shotgun aimed at my head?

Reeve: Just stay still…

Chapter Fifty Four

The Wings of the Phoenix

Tifa dreamed nightmares of being chased by a man with two swords who wouldn't stop flirting with her while Cloud rescued her and Rude fought for his life on top of a mountain fortress. It was a horrible dream, but at the same time, a comforting one. Because no matter what, Rude fought on, and Cloud was always there to rescue her.

She awoke slowly, and felt itchy sensation of having been Cured recently where several cuts used to be. She moved slowly, groggily, as she got up, and saw Graehan tied up, sitting in front of a campfire while Cloud brought more wood.

"Why should I believe you?" Graehan asked. "You are the enemy."

Cloud didn't answer him, merely looked to Tifa. "Good morning. Glad to see you're okay. I didn't think you'd be up for another few hours."

"She shouldn't be," Graehan said. "but then again, she's a warrior. I wouldn't have been surprised if she hadn't shrugged the poison off entirely as soon as it entered her system."

"You're unprompted, Tifa," Cloud said. "Tell Graehan here where Jenova is."

"Where Jenova is?" Tifa asked, confused. "She's dead. Her body from where she took over Lucrecia is in Midgar, and her original body is pretty much atomized in North Crater from when she tried to kill us all with an Ultima spell."

"You're lying!" Graehan snarled. "Mother is eternal! The Yenta Pree would know if she were dead! They led us to the surface because they told us she was in danger, and that we needed to sweep the lands of the unbelievers in order to save her!"

"The Yenta Pree thanked me for killing Jenova," Cloud said.

"What? Graehan asked, startled. "No… that can't be. I don't believe you. Ply your wares elsewhere, merchant of lies. I am not buying."

"What do you know of Jenova?" Cloud asked.

"Everything," Graehan said confidently. He stared Cloud in the eye, and then looked away, his shoulders slumping. "And nothing."

"I ask again, what do you know of Jenova?"

Graehan lifted his head once more and met Cloud's gaze, "When we are young, we are taught the glory of Mother, and how she came from the heavens to bless us above all others for our hard work and sacrifice. And she instructed us to strike down those who had strayed from us, the faction that had chosen to settle instead of work. The lazy, the inept. Those who said 'good enough', and chose that to be their lifestyle. It is said she herself led us into battle. But the Cetra… ones that chose not to follow Jenova… they fought alongside the humans, and we were driven away, forced into the underground."

"That's not what I asked," Cloud said. "I asked you what you know of Jenova, not the history of your people."

"She is Mother. That means everything to us. She gave us a goal, gave us a dream, gave us a _purpose_."

"As a Cetra, you had a purpose before Jenova. Settling the planet. Reaching the Promised Land. You lost sight of that, and became more content in becoming conquerors. That is Jenova. And she is dead."

"I still don't believe you."

"I fought the Yenta Pree in Midgar. This is what it said to me. 'We are the Yenta Pree. The last of our kind. You are the Champion. We know you, for we saw you slay Mother. We thank you.' Does that sound like something the Yenta Pree would say?"

Graehan paused, doubt clearly on his face. Tifa wondered what he was thinking. The man's very beliefs were being questioned. Was he really an enemy? Or was he just misinformed?

"Yes," Graehan answered, "it is something Veishan would say."

"Veishan?" Tifa asked.

Graehan craned his head to regard her, and said, "He is the weakest, yet boldest, of the Yenta Pree. He is intelligent and cunning, yet murderous. And he leads the Yenta Pree. He is something of a first among equals, but he is dependant on the other two, Dweir and Ephain."

"What is the Yenta Pree?" Cloud asked.

"The Yenta Pree is our leader, our spiritual guide. They, it, is our connection with Mother. They speak with Mother and relay her words to us. It was discovered long ago that Mother's words drive people slowly to madness. A normal mind cannot withstand her presence fully. So the Yenta Pree was made. Several minds all Linked into one hive mind. They can still think individually, but can feel each other's thoughts, or so I'm told. But Veishan's different. While the others still have a sense of individuality, Veishan's rooted in the Link. He speaks in plural. 'We' this, 'we' that. Everyone always thought he was submissive to the Link at first, but for some reason, it allowed him greater authority within it. He is the leader of the Yenta Pree, if there is such a thing in a union of sharing."

"Will you help us?" Cloud asked.

"Why should I?" Graehan asked. "I'm not even sure I believe you. We were taught that your kind are liars and thieves."

"I'm not asking you as a human," Cloud said, standing up and moving closer to the albino. He grabbed the man by the front of his coat and pulled him close, bringing the full force of his Mako eyes staring into the other man's. "I ask you as a fellow man who has been tainted by Jenova."

Graehan's jaw dropped. He firmly shut it, and made as if to say a retort, to deny Cloud's words, but then stopped. He started to shake his head, and then stopped that short as well. Tifa began to weakly stand up, and Graehan broke his gaze from Cloud and looked at her. "Are there others like him?"

"Yes," Tifa answered.

"Your lover… the bald one…"

"His name is Rude. And yes, he is like Cloud. They were both in a special unit of warriors called Soldier. They were treated with a showering of Mako, and infected with Jenova cells. It allowed them to be stronger, faster, and more resistant to injury."

Graehan nodded, as if that had been the answer he had been expecting. He looked back to Cloud. "I am not entirely sure I believe you, warrior. I do not know if Mother is truly dead or not, or if she is evil like you claimed. But I know one thing. This invasion is wrong. It never sat well with me. We do not belong here. Our place is underground. And until I hear Mother's words telling us that the course we travel is correct, then I am content to take my people back to their home."

"Good enough," Cloud said, then dropped Graehan unceremoniously onto the ground. He turned away and gestured to Tifa, motioning her to follow him. Once they were away from the campsite, Cloud began to speak once more. "I don't entirely trust him."

"I do," Tifa said.

"Why?"

"Because…" she answered, remembering back to when they had fought. "He's a gentleman."

Cloud nodded. "I'll need you to watch over him, and try to steer him in the right direction. You're good at that. You've always been my compass, Tifa. Now I need you to be his. He's the best chance we have at making the Tali Hishna retreat."

"I'll try. Cloud… where have you been? You mentioned seeing the Yenta Pree…?"

The Soldier washout sighed, and answered, "The past week has been a nightmare. Ever since Avalanche split up, it seems to have been one large disaster. You and Rude defending Fort Condor, Barret and Red are in Cosmo Canyon, Aeris is with Rufus-"

"She's with Rufus?" Tifa exclaimed. "How did that happen?"

"There's no time to explain. But Yuffie's with the Turks, too. As in, she's a member." He paused while the shock from that hit her, and then continued, "And we still don't know where Vincent is, or what happened to him. But then the Planet came to me and told me that the Yenta Pree were after Mako reactors. Fort Condor, Midgar, and Gongaga. They're attacking Cosmo Canyon to keep everyone pinned down. I need to get there in a hurry, but without the Highwind, I can't get there. And there's no reliable fuel point between Kalm and Cosmo Canyon right now, so I can't go that way."

Tifa nodded, unsure of what he was asking. She also thought of what Cloud was saying. Fort Condor, Midgar, and Gongaga. Gongaga's reactor was broken. So were all of Midgar's. So why were the White Scourge attacking those locations? It didn't make sense.

"The Planet came to me and told me that the Yenta Pree was making a move on Midgar and that I had to stop it. But somehow it, this Veishan, sensed me coming and was prepared. It ambushed me, and ever since I've been running. Sometimes the Planet comes to me and tells me when to run, but the enemy always seems to be waiting. I need to get ahead of them somehow.

"Do you have your Phoenix Materia?"

The question seemed to come out of nowhere, and Tifa couldn't bring herself to answer at first. "Yes."

"I need you to summon Phoenix for me."

"Why? There's no one here to fight. Who are you going to have it attack?"

"No one," Cloud answered, "but I have an idea. I need to get to Cosmo Canyon as quickly as possible. Phoenix can fly. If you summon it and keep it out for an hour, it should be able to get me to Cosmo Canyon."

"But we need you here," Tifa protested. "Rude sent me to find you. Fort Condor's going to be overwhelmed if we don't get help."

"You have help. While I was on the run, I stopped off in Kalm. The people there, the residents and the refugees of Midgar are gathering. They've been hearing Fort Condor's plight over the radio, and are beginning to gather. They're a day behind me, and they're not well armed, but with the right leader, they should be enough to defeat the Tali Hishna army when they join forces with the Fort Condor. Wait here for them, they'll be here. When you see them, ask to see Johnny."

"Johnny?" Tifa asked. "The same Johnny that used to hang out at my bar?"

"That's the one. He's more or less in charge. Now, can you summon Phoenix?"

Tifa pulled the red orb from her glove and nodded. As she concentrated on it, she saw Cloud move away, towards his motorcycle. He removed a large bag from it and slung it over his shoulder.

"Keep the motorcycle," Cloud said. "I don't think it'll fit on Phoenix's back."

Tifa smiled, even as sweat began to bead along her forehead. A burst of flames appeared to their left, and both of them involuntarily flinched as the great firebird appeared, its feathers shimmering. It let out a cry, and looked about, searching for an enemy to attack.

"No one to fight," Tifa said to it. "We need your help. Can you fly Cloud to the west? To Cosmo Canyon?"

The Phoenix turned its head slightly to the side, as if the words were foreign. It let out a squawk, then hunched itself down and spread one wing for Cloud to climb. Already the female fighter felt the strain of keeping a summoned monster out for so long.

"Hurry, Cloud," she said.

He nodded once, then wasted no time launching himself onto the bird, sword and sack in tow. As soon as he did, Phoenix gave one powerful beat of his wings and sent itself soaring into the air.

"Hurry."


	55. Missing Score

Author's Note:

Still don't own FF, despite how much merchandise I've bought. Note to self: Find site selling plushie Tonberry. Final Trinity is coming. Be sure to check the site out. We'll be putting up a message board/guest book dealie soon so you can leave comments.

Chapter Fifty Five

Missing Score

Rocks tumbled all about the cavern, and Barret was forced to discard his hammer and pick up Marlene, racing out of the tunnel as he did. Soon it would all collapse on top of him, and if he wasn't fast enough, he and his baby girl would be joining Dio's fate. So he ran. If not for his sake, then for his daughter's. His legs pumped until finally, the cave collapsed behind him, and the rumbling stopped. Bringing himself to a halt, Barret set his girl down and quickly removed the gag and binds on her.

"Daddy!" she wailed.

"It's okay, hun," he said, holding her close and trying to soothe her. Dio might have had something of a change of heart before he died, but he still had taken his girl and put her in danger. For that, Barret would never forgive him.

Outside, Red XIII howled again, and Barret trembled. Cosmo Canyon was being overrun. He had to get out there and help, but if he did, he'd be bringing his girl out into danger with him.

"Daddy needs your help," Barret said. "Outside, there are those bad white men. Now, I can leave you here, or take you with me and try to get you to safety. If you stay here, they might not find you. But there's a good chance. So what do you want to do, Marlene?"

The girl's eyes widened as she realized that for the first time, her dad didn't know what to do. This stalwart defender was racked with indecision. And Barret felt awful for it.

"I want to be with you, Daddy."

The big man nodded and gathered the girl in his arms and hugged her close. "I love you, Marlene."

"I love you, too, Daddy."

Barret let her go and then said, "Okay, girl. You gotta get on my back. There's gonna be some fightin' outside, so I want you to close your eyes. You got that?"

"Yes, Daddy."

The little girl walked around him and hopped onto her adoptive father's back, and Barret smiled as he drew the two pick-axes at his sides. What a sight he would be. Charging into battle with a four-year-old girl on his back, swinging around two mattocks that were never meant for warfare.

He tried not to think about it. Just kept his breath level, and focused himself. He'd been in so many battles, sometimes, he just wondered when it would all end. If it wasn't the damn Shinra, it was Sephiroth. If it wasn't Sephiroth, it was Jenova. If it wasn't Jenova, it was the Weapons. And if it wasn't the damn Weapons, it was the godamn Tali Hishna.

His hands began to hurt with how tightly he gripped his weapons. Now. Now was the time he'd run out. With a roar, he charged out of the cave and into the dusk, expecting to join forces with a decimated army.

And instead he saw only one large bulk of white and grey forms, all milling about, picking over dead bodies. He didn't even weight the consequences of his actions, or think about what to do. He simply leapt down the stairs and into the fight, mattocks swinging. He landed into a crowd of Tali Hishna, and their shock was so complete that five were just piles of dust before they even realized what was happening. Barret moved like a whirlwind, hacking away at his opponents, driving them back. He made sure to keep his back to a wall at all times, so the enemy would never get a chance to strike at Marlene. He didn't know what to do, but just kept fighting on, knowing it was his only chance at survival.

And then Vincent was beside him, swinging the overly long blade of Masamune into the enemy, hacking away at the Tali Hishna.

"Give me Marlene!" Vincent yelled.

Barret moved from the wall, and the ex-Turk was instantly there, scooping the girl into his arms.

"I'll take her to the library! That's where the survivors are! I'll come back for you once I get her there!"

Barret glanced at Vincent, and saw the truth of the matter in the Turk's eyes, the same truth he knew was in his own heart. There were too many Tali Hishna, and Barret was too heavy to be picked up and flown to the library. He was on his own. He just nodded, though, and yelled, "Go! Jes' take care of my girl and go!"

Vincent gave the closest thing to a sympathetic look that he could and flew off, Marlene in one hand, Masamune in the other. Blood splattered against Barret's face as he fought, and even as it hit him, it turned to ash. That's all the Tali Hishna were, and all they would ever contribute. Ash. Nothing but ash.

No longer having to worry about Marlene, Barret moved from the wall and into the enemy, hacking at them with abandon.

"If I'm goin' down, damn you, I'm talking as many of you as I can with me!"

The Tali Hishna possessed raw zeal and sheer numbers, but Barret had a concentrated battle fury that he'd learned to control fighting Shinra, natural talent, and a fit body from years working in coal mines and drilling himself to become a better fighter. He would _not_ die easily.

"Barret!" came a call, and the man spared a glance in its direction, and received a nasty cut on one arm as he gaped. Coming from the east was a burning light in the sky, a massive bird that bespoke flames and fury, and on its back was Cloud. Phoenix flew in low, spread its wings, and unleashed an unearthly fire. Tali Hishna screamed in pain as the summoned creature burned them away. Barret was forced to close his eyes and swing blindly as the fire hit.

When it died down, he opened them again, and all about was an open space where Tali Hishna once were. Phoenix was gone, disappeared into whatever place summoned monsters lived, and now on the ground, running towards him was Cloud.

"Catch!" Cloud said, throwing a large, burlap sack to him. Barret caught it immediately, dropping his mattocks and a smile spreading over his face. Even as he pulled Missing Score, his gun-arm, from the bag, Cloud was already keeping the enemy at bay with large sword strokes. The polished black weapon looked beautiful to Barret, more beautiful than anything he'd seen in years, save Marlene of course, and he hurriedly shuffled the load around, detached his artificial hand, tossed it aside along with the bag which still had something in it, and snapped the gun-arm into place.

"Okay, you jackasses!" Barret shouted. "Let's play!"

Not even bothering to take careful aim, Barret fired indiscriminately into the army of enemies, blasting away portions of its with a weapon that these primitive fighters could never hope to comprehend.

And then once more Vincent was there, Masamune surgically removing any of the enemy that got away from Barret's gun-arm. Between the three of them, nothing could hope to survive that dreadful confrontation.

And nothing did.

Even as the Tali Hishna began to flee, once more Red XIII erupted from the library, a small force behind him. They harried the enemy and chased them from Cosmo Canyon once more, but even as the White Scourge left, there was a feeling of hopelessness. No one raised the victory cry. No one cheered at the enemy's demise.

All that had been left behind was the taste of ashes.


	56. Morality

Author's Note:

And now for… Aeris. Yay? I'm beginning to regret bringing her back. She's hard to write. I don't own Final Fantasy. Final Trinity is coming.

Chapter Fifty Six

Morality

Aeris sat in the passenger seat of one of the armoured cars that Rufus had brought with him looking out the window. She hated leaving Rufus like this. Hated that it had come to this. If she went to him, would he turn? Would he go back to his path of redemption? She wanted to see him succeed, she wanted it so badly, but she wasn't sure why. A few months ago, she would have been happy to see an evil man like Rufus Shinra turn from his path and onto one of a hero, but would've also expected him to not give up old habits so easily. So now why was she so disappointed?

She stared out the window chewing on her lower lip wondering that for a long time.

She needed someone to talk to and discuss it with. She glanced over to Gerald who sat at the driver's seat, and inwardly thought 'no.' Gerald was nice, and even though he had decided to leave Rufus and chose her, and she was sure he was a fine soldier, he wasn't very good at things related to the heart. She needed someone passionate to speak to, someone who could understand the topic.

She needed Cloud.

Thinking about it, though, she wondered at where she would go with her new, make-shift army. She could go to Kalm, find Cloud, speak with him, figure out their next course in action. But Kalm was out of the way, and would take a while to get to. No, she needed to figure this out on her own, and figure out what to do.

"You really think Rufus is a bad guy, ma'am?" Gerald asked suddenly, and Aeris sat straight up, a little shocked to hear him speak.

"No," she answered after a moment. "I don't think he's 'bad.' He's definitely not evil. He's just…" She struggled, looking for a word.

"Misunderstood?" Gerald asked.

She couldn't help but laugh. "No, not misunderstood. Maybe he was at one time, with his father being such a prominent ghost in his past. But no… he's hardly misunderstood now. Anything he does now is his own fault, and is to be taken at face value. He betrayed the Planet. That sort of thing shouldn't be taken lightly. He could have been a champion, you know. Like Cloud. Or how Sephiroth should have been, if not for Hojo."

"So you're sayin' Rufus is like Sephiroth, ma'am? A bad guy when he should be a good guy?"

"No," Aeris said, almost offended at the notion. "Those two could not be further apart. Sephiroth was born good, and had the chance to do great things. But because of Hojo's and Jenova's influence, he became evil. But ultimately, in the end, he did good once more.

"Rufus on the other hand… I hate to say this, but Rufus was born evil. He's the product of being Tobias Shinra's son. He had that seed in him from the beginning, and his father enhanced it with his own brand of cruelty, greed, and insanity. Rufus became evil himself. And then one day, he had goodness thrust upon him by outside influence. But in the end, he stuck with his own twisted morality. 'What does doing this serve Rufus Shinra?' And he chose to do evil once more. They are very much opposites."

Gerald coughed. "Now, I don't know anything about this Jenova person or what happened with Sephiroth, but I knew Hojo. Hell, not an employee in Shinra that didn't. Everyone was scared of him. And I can see why that monster's influence hurt Sephiroth. But when it came to hurting people, Hojo was a rank amateur compared to Old Man Shinra. Hojo destroyed a few lives with his experiments, sure. Tobias Shinra killed families. So what did you expect him to do to his own family? Rufus was lucky to have come out of that alive. Now, the way I see it, ma'am, is that, sure, maybe Rufus came out a better man after he got the Soldier process done on him. Everyone noticed it right away. But maybe it's not that he had a chance to be a good man thrust upon him, but more like he got a second chance."

Aeris smiled wistfully, then shook her head. "But he failed. He destroyed his 'second chance.' He's betrayed us, Gerald. He's trying to turn the Planet over to the Tali Hishna."

"Forgive my saying this, ma'am, but all I know about the Tali Hishna is what I've heard from you and Rufus, and that ain't a whole lot. At first, Rufus said they were bad. But now he says they're good. Now, we're taking a big risk defecting from him. Where are we gonna go? It's not like we can go back to Junon now."

"Or maybe we can," Aeris said. As soon as Gerald had said it, she knew that was where she had to be. Something in her gut screamed at her that Junon was where she needed to go, the place that she needed to defend. The Planet was calling to her. "We don't know where Rufus is going, and the radios don't work right now. The Tali Hishna are jamming them with some sort of magic. I think it's the same thing that's causing Materia to fail."

"Forgive me, ma'am, but Materia is failing…?"

She nodded once. "I can feel the energies of certain Materia being suppressed so that they won't unleash. No one else knows this because no one brought any Materia on this expedition. Just mechanical weaponry. But at the moment, I can feel… Ice, fire, lightning, cure, and earth all locked away. And something is beginning to lock away gravity. But while the radios are down, Rufus can't contact Junon and tell them what's happened. He can't say that I'm now a fugitive. It's a race of us against him, and his arrogance is working for us. He gave us a week head start. He can't hope to catch up with us in time."

Gerald smiled. The more she thought about the plan, the more she liked it. She just had to figure out what she was going to do once she got to Junon. And she really hoped that Rufus would truly give her that week head start like he had boasted.

But even as Gerald sent the order along the short-band radios, which weren't affected by the Tali Hishna's jamming, Aeris couldn't help but wonder if Rufus' defection was somehow her fault. Had she caused a potentially good man to turn from his redemption? Was all this somehow her fault? What was it that she and Rufus had said to each other?

Rufus, what have you done?

No, Aeris, what have you done?

He obviously blamed her. And in a sense, he knew what he had done was wrong. The Cetra in him would have told him that much. But still, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty about it all.

She tried to force herself to think of only the path that lay ahead of her, and not the one that lay behind. Rufus had made his choice. It was _not_ her fault. She did not make his decisions.

And that albino woman. She'd heard soldiers speaking of her and Rufus after she'd left the tent. What had that said her name was? Ephain? Aeris always clenched her jaw when thinking of that wretched woman. She was the enemy.

Normally, Aeris considered herself a nice and peaceful girl, despite having grown up in the Midgar slums. But thinking of that Ephain woman made her want to do violence.

_I am not jealous!_

Aeris started as that thought it her, and she absently wondered where _that_ had come from. She wasn't jealous. There was nothing to be jealous of. She had Cloud. And she was more than happy with him. She was _deliriously_ happy. When they were together. Things just seemed to keep getting in their way. Like treaties with Shinra. Or her own death. Little nuisances like that.

"What are we gonna do once we get to Junon, ma'am?" Gerald asked.

Aeris, broken out of her train of thought, gave a start once again at Gerald's unexpected words. She wasn't sure. What would she do once they got to Junon. "Talk with Reeve, I guess. He's a good man. He'll understand what's happening, and try to help us. I think he'll make the right decision."

Gerald nodded once more, happy with the answer. It didn't seem to take much to make him happy.

She mulled it over, though, and wondered if she could really trust Reeve. She'd never really met him face to face, only seen him as Cait Sith, and before her unfortunate, yet temporary, demise, Cait Sith had just betrayed Avalanche and subsequently sacrificed himself, or so it seemed, to gain the Black Materia for them.

As the car moved forward, Aeris began to wonder if she had any idea of what she was getting herself into.


	57. Respect For The Dead

Reno: Oh my god!

Reeve: Tyramir is going for the hat trick! Four chapters, folks! He means to tie his record!

Reno: As a prize, I will say the disclaimer. Tyramir does not own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Reeve: And Final Trinity is coming.

Chapter Fifty Seven

Respect For the Dead

"What did you say?" Reno asked, shocked. Somewhere deep inside, it felt as if a hand had gripped onto his heart and was beginning to squeeze. Hard.

"You heard me!" Elena shouted, her face tear streaked. "That bastard stole Tseng's body! He has _my_ Tseng!"

Reno tried to sit down, found there was no chair underneath him, and fell backwards, landing on his bottom. He stayed there, a dumbstruck expression on his face, and a hundred million things running through his mind.

Hojo was capable of a lot of things, grave robbing being one of the lesser crimes. And while he and Cait had joked about Hojo making an army of undead flunkeys, now that the thought was there, he couldn't get it out. And he desperately wanted it out.

"How?" Reno asked.

"How what?" Elena demanded.

"How do we even have Tseng's body? We left it in the godamn Temple of the Ancients before it got crushed and turned into the Black Materia. I know _I_ don't remember pulling it out. I made a quick examination, then went outside looking for whoever did it. How 'bout you, Lena?"

The woman stopped short and shook her head. "I didn't… we did leave him in there, didn't we? So whose body did he steal?"

"Uh…" Cait said, "He stole Tseng's. I was kinda sorta the one who pulled his body out of the Temple. Unit One, anyway. Before it went into the Temple to turn it into the Black Materia, I saw Tseng and pulled him out. I ordered him to be kept in the Junon morgue until I could have his body cremated and sent back to Wutai. It was a discussion we had once. He made me promise that if he ever died, I'd make sure that his family got his remains."

"Then why didn't they?" Elena asked, lifting the doll up and shaking it. "Why was his body still here? Why was Hojo given the chance to steal it?"

"Stop!" Cait cried. Elena immediately stopped shaking him and placed him back on the desk. "It's not my fault. I meant to do it as soon as possible, but so many things came up. Sephiroth was still on the loose, and then the Weapons came, and Meteor hit, and I lost my memories… I quite literally forgot!"

Reno brushed a hand through his hair and just shook his head in disbelief. "Can he really do it? Hojo, I mean. Can he bring Tseng back to life?"

Cait shrugged. "I'm not sure. I mean, he cloned Sephiroth about thirty five times, mostly using other people as a template. He'd literally graft Sephiroth's genes on someone else. He was a brilliant geneticist. But if he wanted to bring Tseng back… well, he wouldn't be able to do it. Not from scratch, or from a corpse. I don't see how he could do it."

Reno nodded, relieved to hear that. He didn't want to have to fight Tseng. Not in a hundred, no, not in a _million_ years. Tseng had not only been a friend, but he'd also been his teacher. Tseng knew every move Reno had, plus a lot more. The Wutaian man had rarely used his skills that Reno had seen, but he knew that the man could kick almost anyone's ass three ways from Sunday. One handed. While getting a manicure and making sure his hair was shining and full of body.

Tseng had always been a little queer.

"Think he's gonna try to graft Tseng onto Trask?" Reno asked, surprised at his own words as he spoke them.

Cait made a sound akin to a whistle, and Elena threw another fit. Reno felt like joining her. Instead, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialled up Yuffie's number. After half a ring, he got an answer.

"Hey!" she said cheerily.

"No time for a good mood, Yuff. Find Hojo. Watch him. If possible try to steal a controlling mechanism off him. That's your briefing. This is a full on mission."

"What's going on?"

Reno rolled his eyes, and answered, "What's Rule Two of the Turk handbook?"

There was a pause, followed by the inevitable answer. He'd made sure to drill these rules into Yuffie, while letting Trask figure them out on his own. "'Never question your Commander.'"

"Good girl. Now get to it." He hung up on her, then put the phone away. "Elena, you're a wreck, fix yourself up."

Elena looked up at him, her mascara running. "I, uh… I request permission to confront Trask himself. Before he becomes Tseng."

"Denied," Reno said firmly. "I have another plan. But first, ransack Shera's office. I need you to look through all of her belongings. Give it a thorough search."

"Her office was already searched by-"

"Do I give a crap what some rent-a-soldier didn't find? Shera was hiding something before she died. Find it. Give it a full on Turk search. And if anyone interferes, remember Turk Rule Number Four."

"'Shoot first, ask questions never?'"

"That's the one. If anyone tells you that you're doing something wrong, or tries to interfere with you, they're working for Hojo. He broke Rule 5. And the Turks never, ever, allow anyone to break Rule 5."

"What's Rule 5?" Cait asked.

"None of your business," Reno said. "And you… get in that Robo-Guard of yours, put the thing on standby, and I want you to figure out how Hojo's bio-modem works. I don't care if you have to take apart your own head and pull out the pieces that keep you running. Figure it out, or by tomorrow night, we're killing Hojo, whether he's in your body or not."

Cait gulped, then nodded furiously.

"And what will you be doing?" Elena asked.

Reno thought about it for a moment, then grinned. "The two things I like doing most. Ordering weapons and looking at porn while waiting for them to come in. Now get lost!"


	58. Awaiting The Dawn

Reeve: Oh lovely.

Reno: What?

Reeve: You have another one of your so-called 'brilliant' plans.

Reno: So?

Reeve: You do realize that because of one of your plans, Shera died, right?

Reno: Shaddup.

Reeve: Just wondering who's gonna kick the bucket next.

Reno: Probably you. You're Trask-bait.

Reeve: …

Reno: Anyway, Tyramir doesn't own the rights to FF.

Chapter Fifty Eight

Awaiting the Dawn

Rude sat on his favourite rock, looking out at the darkness outside through the small passage. His Turk coat was long gone, as was his shirt. Both had been lost in a series of battles until they'd turned into little more than rags. Finally he'd torn them free and discarded them. The only thing he wore on his chest now was his breast holster, the Turk-issue glock still holstered in it and the gold chain about his neck with the silver ring on it. He forced the memories that it represented from his mind.

His sunglasses were also gone, thrown down the mountain side because they were useless in the dark, when all the fighting took place. Bandaging his fists to resemble something akin to a boxer, Rude wondered once again if Tifa would make it back in time.

One of the Red Wings, a kid by the name of Ben, came up to him and asked if everything was all right. If they were going to go through with the plan. Rude just nodded dumbly. It was an insane plan, one he wasn't originally going to run by Takkin. Instead, Tseng's old teachings came back to him. _To stay alive, you have to be unprofessional at times. But never, ever, betray the chain of command._

So he'd told the old man what he was planning. And at first the leader of Fort Condor seemed doubtful, but then remembered the habits of the White Scourge. He'd reluctantly agreed in the end.

But first, the Red Wings had to wait for the dawn.

Rude rubbed at his cheek and realized that his goatee was slowly becoming a beard. How long since he had last shaved? How long since his last shower? He couldn't even remember when the last time he'd had any real sleep was. The light hours were spent training the Red Wings, the night hours fighting. Even when his side of the mountain wasn't under siege, he ran to the other side and helped out there. The White Scourge always flinched back when this silent killer appeared anywhere on the battlefield. Worse, never once did a member of their precious Triad back them up. With the large one dead, and the one with two swords seemingly missing, only the female fighter was left. And she seemed reluctant to enter battle now without her other two compatriots to back her.

Rude just smiled to himself. Today, she'd see battle.

"Sir," Ben said.

Rude looked over to him and gave him a questioning look.

"We just received a radio signal from someone. They're asking us to relay a message to Cosmo Canyon since they can't seem to get through to them. It's a little garbled, though. We don't even know who it's from."

Rude nodded, tightened the bandages around his fists, then stood up and made his way to the command center, an open gallery in the middle of all the caves. Takkin and a few of the mercenaries stood around a table there once the Turk arrived, gathered about a radio. Takkin glanced over to Rude and motioned for him to join them.

Once he arrived at the table, the radio emitted a static-filled squawk, followed by a garbled message.

"This is…. iv… of … ai. We …. ng help… please inform… mo Can… that… fleet is… way."

Takkin looked genuinely puzzled, but Rude smiled and nodded. The old man glanced to Rude and asked, "Do you know what that was all about? It's repeated several times, but it always comes out more garbled."

"Wutai," Rude supplied. "I'm not sure of the message, but it's from Wutai."

"How do you know?" Takkin asked.

"I recognize the voice. That was Staniv of Lord Godo's pagoda. And they mentioned a fleet. Wutai is the only nation with a fleet worth mentioning."

One of the mercenaries seemed dubious, but Takkin nodded. "Unfortunately, we cannot send word to Cosmo Canyon any more than they can. Our radios are jammed as well."

Takkin paused for a moment and regarded Rude as if seeing him for the first time. "It's almost dawn now. Do you still plan on going through with this madness?"

The Turk nodded. "I'll need one more thing, though. Do we have any lamp oil?"

"Not much. We depend mostly on the reactor giving us our power, so we don't use lamps that often. Mako power tends to override the need for such old fashioned methods of light. I think we may have a few kegs, though."

"I'll only need one," Rude said.

Takkin responded, "May I ask what you'll need it for? We have kerosene. That will burn, and a lot more violently."

"Lamp oil lasts longer."

"I beg your pardon?" Takkin asked, confused. He was obviously, as usual, beginning to get a little irritated by Rude's short, clipped answers. "When you asked for lamp oil, I thought you wanted something that will burn quickly. You are going to use it as a weapon against the Scourge, right?"

Rude shook his head.

The man finally let out an exasperated sigh and announced, "Fine. I'll let you have your lamp oil. But I expect you to tell me why later."

Rude gave him something akin to a smile, the closest he could manage anyway, and turned away, heading back to where the Red Wings were. It wouldn't be long now. All about him, he looked at the teenagers assembled about, all clutching spears and old swords. They were afraid. He sympathized. They had every reason to be. Something in his own mind screamed that this was suicide. In a normal war, you'd never realistically do something like this.

But this wasn't a normal war. This was a battle against creatures of the underground. And when you fought a new type of enemy, you always had to come up with new tactics. To not adapt was to perish, and Rude refused to die.

The Turk made his way to the stalagmite by the largest opening and checked the rope. It was tied tightly, with no signs of tampering. Not that he expected any. But Turk training always told him to double and triple check everything. He remembered the last time he'd tried to use a rope that he hadn't double-checked before rather bitterly. A mission a long time ago when he was in Soldier, alongside a man he'd been sure was a friend.

_Why did I think of that?_ Rude wondered. It'd been a long time since he'd been Abner Owen, and thought of the memories that came with the name.

He'd properly buried all that in the past, alongside memories of Lathe. He fingered the ring again. Maybe one day he'd tell Tifa. Or maybe it was better to keep it all buried. He gave a mental shrug and looked out the opening and saw the first light of dawn.

Turning to face the Red Wings, Rude said, "It's time. It's dawn."


	59. Illusion No More

Author's Note:

Reno: Wait. There's _more_ to Rude's past than he let on?

Reeve: Of course there is. It's build up to 'Fighting For A Promise', the prequel to FF7 that Tyramir will eventually write.

Reno: Jeez. That man has no life. He's got like five things lined up. Still working on Promised Empire, Final Trinity coming soon, and he hasn't even finished Fallen Knight yet.

Reeve: Tell me about it. For a man that's so lazy, you'd think he'd give himself less of a workload.

Reno: Yet it's that very same laziness that keeps him from finishing Fallen Knight.

Reeve: Heh. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy. Final Trinity is coming. And so's Fighting For a Promise, too. Eventually.

Chapter Fifty Nine

Illusion No More

Cloud sheathed Ultima Weapon and surveyed the carnage. All about him were the dead bodies of Cosmo Canyon's finest warriors as well as those of refugees from both Corel and Gold Saucer. But for every body there was, there were three piles of ash. Some consolation. The trade hardly seemed worth it.

He turned to face Barret, and saw the man sitting down on a boulder, looking completely dumbfounded. The man appeared to almost have no sense as to what was around him, looking confused.

As Cloud approached, the man said, "The hell's it all for? These godamn Tali Hishna... First Corel, then Gold Saucer, now Cosmo Canyon. The _hell _is it all for!"

Placing an arm on Barret's shoulder, the big man flinched at the Soldier's touch, as if just noticing Cloud for the first time. The black man grunted. "The hell you doin' here anyway, Spike?"

Cloud smiled, glad to see that at least Barret's surliness remained intact. "I came because I heard you needed help. Looks like I got here just in time."

"Yeah, well, thanks, I guess." A pause. "We got lucky today. Hell, we been lucky the past week. We shoulda been overrun a long time ago. Why they doin' this, Cloud? Why they tryin' to kill us all?"

"They're not. They're trying to conquer us. They want the world to bend knee to Jenova."

Barret spat. "Like hell I'll bow to those albino bastards. Ain't happening. Shit man, what do we do now? We lost more than half our men, and I know there are more o' those sons o' bitches out there."

Cloud nodded. "They're attempting to take Gongaga. Cosmo Canyon was just a feint. They want the Mako reactor there."

"How d'ya know that?"

"The Planet told me."

"About that," came a voice from behind. Cloud jumped and turned to see Vincent, who was sporting a pair of leathery black wings. He gave another small start at that sight.

"Vincent-? What happened to you?"

Barret answered the question for him. "Dumb shit decided to go skinny dippin' in the Lifestream. Hey, Vince, is Marlene all right?"

The Turk nodded. "She is safe in the library. None of the Tali Hishna penetrated those doors."

"Good. Good. Hey, been meanin' to ask ya. How'd you know Dio and Frennal were the traitors? You always so secretive, I was just wonderin'…"

As the two spoke, Cloud only half-listened, bending over to pick up the burlap sack he had given to Barret. Inside was Death Penalty, discarded by Barret in his haste to put his own gun-arm back on.

Vincent smiled. "I didn't. I honestly thought it was you and Dorret. Why else would Dorret give you a position of power?"

Barret began to protest, sputtering about how Vincent could possibly think a thing like that, talking about old times and when they'd fought Sephiroth together, and then stopped short. Cloud noticed a small, barely there, smile on Vincent's lips. A joke? Did _Vincent_ just tell a _joke_?

Cloud handed over Death Penalty to Vincent and was about to remark on it, but he stopped short, looking at what was in Vincent's other hand. A cold anger gripped him. "Masamune. Sephiroth's sword. Where did you get that?"

Barret answer for Vincent once more, a frown on his face. "Ah hell, when he went to the Lifestream and got all playin' in it, he got that damn pig-sticker. Figures we'll need it for 'the coming battle' an' all."

Cloud visibly trembled as he looked at the blade, remembering with anger how it had taken Aeris' life before his very eyes. Maybe Barret could bring himself to forget that, but he never would. And as he lifted his eyes to look into Vincent's he realized that the former Turk remembered just as well. And still he wielded it.

Cloud's first impulse was to strike Vincent, but instead he turned away, pronouncing every step deliberately as he stomped off. He spotted an outcropping of rocks, small shelter from prying eyes, and made his way towards them.

"Cloud," Vincent called after him insistently. "I need to speak with you. It's about your visions of the Planet-"

"I don't want to see you right now, Vincent!" the Soldier washout yelled, not even turning to face the man. He just kept walking, away from where people could see him.

Once he made it to the rocks, he slipped behind them and screamed in anger, remembering Aeris on her knees, and a black cloaked figure descending, sword point out. He remembered nearly striking her down himself, nearly losing himself to Jenova's and Sephiroth's control.

_You are a puppet._

He could hear the words echoing throughout his mind, over and over again, singing of weakness and inevitability. How he would always fail to protect the ones he loved. He'd lost his mother to Sephiroth, and nearly Tifa, too. He'd lost Zack to Shinra, and Aeris, if only temporarily, to Sephiroth. Cid had perished killing the forbidden summoned monster, Shin Bahamut. Always people seemed to be dying. Always because of him.

Howling in anger, Cloud suddenly realized how much his fist hurt. He looked down at it, and saw that even through his glove, blood was beginning to seep through. He must have hit one of the rocks. Quite a few times. He smiled to himself. He wasn't Rude of Tifa. He couldn't break stone with his fists.

"Ya damn idiot," came a gruff voice.

Cloud turned to face it, and wasn't surprised to once again be confronted by the visage of Cid, smoking a cigarette. Cloud coughed for a moment on the odour coming from it. He never had been used to that.

"I see ya managed to get to Cosmo Canyon," the Planet said. "Good job there. You didn't fuck up entirely, kiddo."

"No thanks to you," Cloud said. "For the spiritual embodiment of the Planet, you certainly haven't been giving me good advice recently. When I was running from the Tali Hishna, they always seemed to know where I was heading, always knew where I was hiding."

"About that," the image of Cid said. "I think that somehow the damn Yenta Pree was listenin' in. Managed to intercept what I was sayin' to you. They're smarter'n I thought. Listen, what you gotta do next is get your ass to Gongaga with what's left o' the people here and-"

"Cloud!" Vincent called. Cloud looked up to see the man land, his wings giving a few small flaps as he did. The former Turk looked directly at the visage of Cid.

"You can see it?" Cloud asked.

"More than see it," Vincent hissed. "I can sense it. I felt it right away as soon as it appeared to you. Is this what's been giving you advice, calling itself the Planet?"

"Yes," Cloud answered, his voice a mass of confusion. "How can you see it? It said that it could only appear to me, because I'm a champion."

The visage of Cid grunted."He can see me because he's got some of… Jenova's taint in him, like you. He's been in the Lifestream, too. Somethin' like that's bound to change a man, make him more in touch with the Planet."

"That ain't it," Barret's voice called. The man stepped from behind a rock, an angry expression on his face. "I can see you, too. Vince said somethin' was up over here and tol' me to eavesdrop. And lookie what I can see. A Tali Hishna pretendin' to be our dead friend."

"What?" Cloud asked incredulously.

"'Beware the Tainted Tongue, for it lies both to the ears and the eyes.'" Vincent said, as if reciting something. "That's what the books in the library said about the Yenta Pree, masters of illusion."

"Now hold on just a damn second!" Cid said. "I can't be the damn Yenta Pree. I dunno why Barret can see me, but I've been on your side. I gave Cloud my damn spear so he could fight Rude. The same spear that Sephiroth killed Jenova with, dammit! I'm the Planet. We don't have time for this. Why would I be responsible for helpin' kill Jenova?"

Cloud's eyes widened, as he remembered the Yenta Pree's own words when he had fought the sorcerer-like Cetra in the ruins of Midgar. "'We know you, for we saw you slay Mother. We thank you.' You set me up. Jenova called you for help, you came to see what she needed, and found out she was in trouble. So you set me up to kill her."

"Even if I was the Yenta Pree," Cid explained, "why the hell would I help in Jenova's destruction? They worship her. She's like a god to them!"

Vincent said, "You're right. It doesn't make sense. Unless the priests of Jenova had become content with her absence, satisfied with the power in society that gave them. The return of the Tali Hishna's god would mean a lowering in rank for the Yenta Pree, wouldn't it?"

"Listen, dammit. I'm tryin' to help you numbskulls, and here you are accusin' me o'-"

"Screw it," Barret said. "If this is really the Planet, then it's made up o' Mako, right?"

"I would assume so," Vincent answered.

"Good. Cloud, get clear!"

The former Soldier barely had time to jump out of the way as Barret lifted his gun-arm, pointed it at the image of Cid, and opened fire. It flinched, and as a loud barrage of machinegun fire issued out, a blue wall of light appeared between Cid and Barret, and the bullets were harmlessly absorbed.

"Curse that Veishan!" the figure sputtered, the illusion about it flickering away to reveal a white-skinned figure in grey robes. "This is all his fault! I knew I shouldn't have appeared here!"

Cloud shouted, "Barret! Hit him with everything you've got!"

"On it!" came the reply, followed by another barrage of machinegun bullets.

Drawing Ultima Weapon from its shoulder sheathe, Cloud swung the massive weapon in an overhead attack, bringing his entire massive strength to bear on the force field that surrounded the Yenta Pree. The blue energy rippled, but the sword harmlessly bounced off. The Yenta Pree casually lifted a hand and sent a bolt of lightning energy at Cloud. The Soldier washout took the hit, falling down, and his muscles seemingly ablaze. He began to stand up, anticipating another attack, but the Yenta Pree had turned to face Barret.

"Barret!" Cloud called, "Down!"

The large man was way ahead of Cloud, already dodging to the side as a wave of fire erupted where he had just been standing.

"I am Dweir!" the Yenta Pree called. "I am not a weakling like Veishan! I-"

Whatever else he was about to announce himself as was cut off as Vincent clumsily raised up Masamune and drove it through his shield, the weapon sliding through as if it were butter and directly into the Yente Pree's thigh.

"You talk too much," Vincent said.

An expression of pain registered on the albino's face, and it looked stunned for a moment. Vincent withdrew the sword, seemingly having difficulty wielding it correctly, and lunged again, but the Yenta Pree managed to stumble aside, and the blade sunk into the rock behind him. A wall of ice abruptly surrounded the Jenova-tainted Cetra, extending twenty feet into the air and trapping Masamune's blade.

Cloud stood up and began to hack at the ice with his blade, while Vincent began to tug at his sword.

"Time to put on the heavy firepower! Get outta the way!" Barret called, and as the two dodged, Barret let loose with a large explosion issuing from Missing Score, the rocket attachment having just clicked into place before he fired.

The ice shattered, and Masamune clattered to the ground. Cloud instantly charged to where he assumed the Yenta Pree must be standing and swung, but his sword connected only with the ground.

"Where is he?" he called.

Vincent looked all about, then peered up into the air. "Up there! I won't let him get away!"

Cloud looked up as the Turk's wings surged, and saw the Yenta Pree in the sky, lightning ablaze all about him as he streaked through the sky. Vincent launched himself into the air and followed immediately after. A series of explosions began to issue around the fleeing Yenta Pree as Barret fired at him, missing only barely and swearing each time he did.

"Let him go," Cloud said. "Vincent will get him."

"Shit!" Barret said. "The hell do we do now?"

Cloud sheathed his sword, and continued to watch the black figure chase after the white one in the sky that was still just turning to night. He wondered that very same question himself.

"The Yenta Pree told me that Cosmo Canyon was a distraction. That the Yenta Pree were really after the Mako reactors, and were actually after Gongaga."

"So what? We gonna go to Gongaga, listen to it like a buncha fools? It wants us to go there. Prob'ly an ambush."

"Exactly," Cloud said. "But if I've learned anything about lying from Yuffie, it's always to put a little bit of truth in it to make it seem believable."

"So what's that s'posed to mean?"

Cloud scratched at his chin for a moment, mulling the question over. "We can't go to Gongaga, because it's sure to be a trap, and we can't stay here. The attack force that was supposed to keep Cosmo Canyon pinned has been eliminated. Sitting here accomplishes nothing. We have to go to the nearest Mako reactor. Gongaga's is broken, so that leaves…"

"Corel," Barret answered right away. "We gotta go to my home."


	60. In A Place of Relative Safety

Author's Note:

Reno: Wow. Things are really heating up. I wonder if Tyramir has anything else under his belt?

Reeve: I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy. He's just borrowing it. Final Trinity is coming. Be sure to check out the site. It's linked on Tyramir's ffnet page. There's now a message board. Feel free to create an account and post, it doesn't take much effort, and Tyr likes feedback!

Chapter Sixty

In A Place of Relative Safety

As Aeris entered the gates of Junon, she noticed that the place had dramatically changed. More guards walked the streets, easily double if not triple the number that were present before. And their discipline was even greater than it had been before. Whereas Rufus expected it in his troops, even demanded it, it appeared as if some unseen force had moved in and inspired a terror even greater than Rufus had been known to command. The air seemed to hum with fear, and Aeris didn't like it at all.

Worse, for whatever reason, the Mako reactor in Junon was running beyond capacity. It pooled more power from the Lifestream that it ever had before, and the Cetra woman could feel the Planet whimpering in pain. It was almost as bad as Midgar had been in its prime, and that megacity had eight reactors to distribute the damage. Somehow, the reactor in Junon was producing almost as much power.

"Ma'am?" Gerald asked.

Aeris shook her head, answering, "It's all right. I just felt a little dizzy."

The soldiers who had come with her all looked to her for guidance, as if to ask, 'What now? Where do we go from here?'

She wasn't entirely sure herself. She hadn't thought it through this far, merely planned just enough to get this group to Junon and see if Reeve knew what to do.

Reeve. She wondered if he was in good health. When she had left Junon with Rufus, he had just been about to receive healing for some sort of injury. Although Rufus hadn't told her at the time, he'd later disclosed to her in the car ride to the Mythral Mines that it was a berserk Cait Sith that had nearly done the man in. It was difficult to believe. She didn't know much about the way the Cait Siths worked, but she couldn't imagine one getting up and breaking someone's arms and legs for no apparent reason.

Regardless, Reeve was obviously the answer. She just had to get to him before Rufus arrived. Which would be a few days, but one could never be sure how long it would take to get through beauracratic red tape, even if it was just to get to see someone who was a friend.

She turned to the Shinra guards and said, "I'd like to thank everyone who followed me. You did the right thing! I know you feel you should be loyal to Shinra, but in disobeying Rufus, you helped the Planet! Now... you should report to your stations, and spread the word that the Tali Hishna are coming!"

"Should we tell everyone about Rufus?" Gerald ask, loudly enough to be heard by everyone.

Aeris chewed her lower lip, unsure of how to answer that. The men needed their morale. They needed to know there was a reason to fight, a reason to keep going and continue on against impossible odds. But at the same time, they were entitled to the truth. In the end, her ethics won out. She would not lie to them.

"Tell them everything. Tell them that Rufus Shinra saw an enemy coming, one that would kill us all if they had their way, and instead of choosing to fight on, he decided to submit to them. The great and proud President of Shinra chose to be a dog of the Tali Hishna!" Even as she spoke, she felt a fire going through her, and her voice raised. Heads nodded along with her speech, along with cheers of triumph. A fervor spread throughout the troops. They knew their path. To fight on, where others had fallen, or given up.

It wasn't much of a speech, but it was the person who spoke it, the beacon of goodness that these soldiers had come to know, and even on some level, love. It was just something about Aeris that made them feel... hope.

The group gave a cheer, and then split up, heading to their stations, already speaking with whoever they came across, spreading word of the Tali Hishna, and Rufus' betrayal. She watched them go, wondering if she should look for Reeve, or try to gage the reaction of the common soldier.

Reeve would have to wait.

Expressions were hard to tell, but Aeris could feel an increase to the tension about Junon. These soldiers had already seen and been through too much. She wondered what had caused their current discomfort. Shoulders slumped, and heads shook in disbelief. No one wanted to hear what was being said. No one wanted more trouble thrust upon them.

She was about to go see Reeve when Gerald came running up to her. "Ma'am! Ma'am!"

She rolled her eyes in mock frustration, and smile warmly at he approached, despite his worried tone. She had to make sure that someone seemed happy and cheerful. If not her, then who else would lift the spirits of these demoralized soldiers?

"Yes, Gerald?"

"The Tali Hishna! It's them! They're here!"

Her eyes widened, and she could feel the blood drain from her face. That was not good. That was definitely not good. Rufus had promised her a week head start. It had never occurred to her that he would lie. But of course he would. That was the type of man he was. Give the enemy false hope, and then crush it. Break the spirit of the opponent. That was what Rufus was good at.

"What are we going to do, ma'am?"

"We're... no... I'm going to fight."

"I beg your pardon, ma'am?" Gerald asked, his voice confused, noting the distinction in her phrasing.

She nodded to herself, and gripped her staff tightly. There was only one way to defeat the army on Junon's doorstep. She had to cut off the head of the snake. She would have to bring herself to kill Rufus and the Yenta Pree.

"Ma'am?" Gerald asked again, worried.

She turned to him, smiling wistfully. "I'm sorry, Gerald. Can you get Reeve for me?"

The soldier started, as if just remembering something. "That's the other thing I came to get you for. He's been injured. He said he needs a healer, but Materia's not working. Can you go see to him?"

Aeris looked to the gates of Junon, then to the direction of the Shinra building. Reeve was her friend, and he needed help. How had he been injured? It didn't matter. She had to choose. One friend, or the entire city. She had to be there to confront Rufus. If she challenged him directly, his pride wouldn't allow him to back down. He would have to accept.

"Bring Reeve to me!" she said. "Quickly!"

Gerald nodded once, and ran off in the direction of the Shinra building.

Author's Note:

Gah I hate writing Aeris. Ah well. Remember, check the message board out. Up next is Hojo (and how he got wounded!)


	61. Rule Five

Author's Note:

Reno: WOO HOO! I get to solve my problems with violence now!

Reeve: Not so fast. This chapter is a two parter! It starts with Elena and Cait, and then moves on to Hojo! Events are picking up, and things need to be done _now_ in order for it to be set all on time.

Reno: Godamn you. Do I get to shoot Trask this chapter?

Reeve: That would be a spoiler. We don't do those. We do disclaimers. Speaking of... Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.

Chapter Sixty One

Rule Five

Cait sat calmly on Shera's old desk, the fur pulled back from his face, exposing the metal exoskeleton underneath. A compartment in his head was opened up, and wires were strewn about everywhere around the desk. In Cait's hands was a small microchip, and a soldering iron.

Elena watched it all, a feeling of disgust in her stomach. How could someone take apart their own head like that and calmly alter pieces of his own brain? At least he wasn't whistling anymore. That had gotten on the female Turk's nerves after a while.

But there was no other way. Reno had delivered an ultimatum. Figure out how to get his body back, or lose it for good. And right now, Cait was playing around with the original modem which had transferred his mind to the toy body. He had figured that if he could alter it correctly, he could use it to transfer his own mind back into his own body. Or so the theory went.

Elena lifted another painting off the wall, calmly knocking on the newly exposed portion, looking for hollow parts. She hated this office. It was small, it was cluttered, and there was absolutely nowhere to hide anything. And worse, there were tiny little airship models hanging from the ceiling, and even despite her short height, she nearly bumped her head into them at every turn. She was about ready to start grabbing them and throwing them to the floor.

"So..." Cait Sith said. It seemed like he wanted to get something off his mind, but couldn't bring himself to.

After a moment's pause, Elena stopped her search through a filing cabinet and said, "Well?"

"I was just wondering," Cait said, never taking his eyes off his work. "Well... when this is all over, and I have my body back. Uhm... well, would you like to go out for a cup of coffee?"

The words were said so quickly Elena wasn't even sure of what he had asked at first. She blinked, confused, then said, "Did you just ask me out?"

"Sort of. Kind of... yeah. I did. Is that bad?" The robot stopped his soldering, turned about, and looked up to her.

Her eyes widened, and she mulled it over. She hadn't really thought of dating anyone in what seemed like forever. Well, except Tseng. Who had always been more interested in Aeris anyway. And was dead. And might be coming back to life. Now how was that for a fucked up one-sided relationship?

"I'm not sure," she answered. "It's a lot to think about."

"Coffee's a lot to think about?" Cait asked.

"Why coffee?" she suddenly asked. "Why is it always coffee? Why not tea? Or beer? Or a lunch at McChocobo's? Why is the dating ice always broken over coffee?"

"Because it's warm and ice melts? I don't know. It's not always coffee. We could go to a movie if you don't like coffee."

"No, no. Coffee's fine. I like coffee. I just... I always had this picture of how a guy should ask me out. Somewhere romantic. And a certain wording. And there has to be confidence to him. And he can't have half the contents of his head on display on a desk."

Cait looked from Elena to the desk, and let out a small sigh. "So that's a 'no.'"

"That's not a no."

"Then it's a yes?"

"I didn't say that either." She turned to go back to what she was doing, bumped her head into one of the low flying models, this one of Shinra No. 26, and finally, with a flicker of annoyance, grabbed the cursed thing, yanked it off the suspension wire, and hurled it to the ground.

The model exploded into small fragments on the floor, and something went _thump_. Curious, Elena bent down and went through the pieces and found a small, metal box. She turned it over, and saw that it wasn't a box at all, but a remote control of some sort. There were a few buttons, a dial, and a small display read out. She frowned. Was this what Shera had been hiding?

She turned it about in her hands and saw the Shinra company logo on the back. Something she wasn't supposed to have?

"Let me see that!" Cait said.

She handed him the control, and he whistled. "I recognize this. It's one of those old control devices used for first gen Soldiers. Like the one that Yuffie's supposed to be stealing."

"What's Shera doing with one?"

Cait shrugged. "Maybe it's not hers. Maybe Hojo hid it in here. Figured it'd be the last place we'd look."

"Or that Trask would. It's meant to keep him in line, right? Maybe Hojo hid it in here thinking that Trask would never think to search here."

Cait nodded. "Make sense. We need to get this to Reno, now."

"What about whatever Shera was hiding?"

"We don't even know if she was hiding anything at all, or if it was even important if she was. But we do know that Reno's looking for this, and we need to get it to him."

Elena nodded. It made sense. "Howabout you? Are you done with your... uh... thing?" she said, indicating the pieces of him that were about.

"Just give me a minute to put myself back together. I should be good to go."

A few minutes later, Elena and a Roboguard controlled by Cait were headed down the corridors to the Turk office, where they encountered Reno smiling to himself, looking over a stack of crates, and holding a cell phone to his ear.

"I don't care if you can't find it, Yuffs," Reno said. "keep looking. It has to be in his office somewhere."

"Call the search off!" Elena said cheerfully. "We found it."

"You heard the lady, Yuffs. Get back here." He stopped, then asked as he took the controller from Elena, "Where was it?"

"Shera's office, surprisingly. We think that Hojo put it there figuring it'd be the last place Trask would look for it. It his weak spot after all."

"That clever little monkey. Not a bad hiding spot for it. Did you find whatever Shera was hiding? Hojo thinks that she was out to sabotage Shinra, and if Hojo thinks it, then I think it. The guy's a nut, but he's smart."

"We didn't find anything."

"Too bad," Reno said, polishing the controller on his jacket. He held it up and crooned to it. "You're my little baby, yes you are. Yes you are. Me and you, we're gonna make that meanie face Trasky-Wasky cry like a little girl."

He made baby faces at the controller, and continued to talk to it, and Elena rolled her eyes. There were days when she wondered why Reno was given the leadership position.

The door opened, and Yuffie stepped in. She looked at the crates, and said, "What's with the boxes?"

"These, my dear," Reno said, stroking the top of one, "are our new toys. Grenades, new shuriken for you, a second 'mag-rod for me, two pistols for 'Lena, and some extra ammo for Cait's Roboguard there."

"And Shinra lets us have this stuff whenever we ask for it?" Yuffie asked incredulously.

"Not quite," Reno said. "This is the part that sucks to be a Turk. Shinra pays us damn well. 50 K a mission is a lot of money, right? Well, there's a reason why we make that much. We have to buy our own toys from Shinra. Which sucks. But on the upside, we're allowed to have whatever we want, whenever we want it. And we're allowed to custom make weapons. Like this baby."

Reno drew his 'mag-rod from the back of his coat and telescoped it out, then pressed a button, causing the end to spark, emphasizing his point.

"So, I think it's time to teach Hojo what it means to break Rule 5 of the Turk hand book."

"What's Rule 5?" Cait asked once more, irritated.

Reno, Elena and Yuffie all answered at the same time.

"Never fuck with the Turks."

* * *

Hojo overlooked the Mako tank, his hands clasped behind his back and a sadistic smile coming across his face. Finally, he was doing what he'd never before been allowed to do. Always before he'd been limited by budget, by the morality of his superiors, by claims that this just wouldn't make money. After all, who would pay the price required to bring a living man back to life? It was dreadful indeed. But that had never stopped Professor Hojo in the past. 

But as Reeve, Vice President of Shinra, Hojo had been able to cut through the red tape that had always bound him before, cleared the contracts, ordered the supplies he needed. No longer was he bound by the limitations of others. Now he was in charge of his own destiny. And that of any corpse he could put his hands on.

And right now, he had the perfect corpse in his hands. Tseng Katsuo, former Commander of the Turks. Prime condition, both mentally and physically. A clean killing wound; a single strike from Masamune. The blood had clotted instantly around the wound, preventing any real blood loss. An odd trait of Masamune's, but useful in these circumstances. The wound had been stitched together and been healed with Materia. Although that had proved difficult. Materia appeared to be working imperfectly at the moment, influenced by an outside source, no doubt from the strange energy read outs Hojo had been monitoring from the direction that Rufus and the Ancient had gone. The signals proved promising. Very reminiscent of Jenova. He'd made a mental note to look into it at a later date.

But first things first. He had to deal with those meddlesome Turks, and the little cat doll. They alone knew who he was, and he would have to eliminate them before continuing on. Normally he wouldn't bother with such a small quarry, but if the truth were to get out about his real identity, things could become difficult. Best to eliminate the lot of them now.

Tseng was dressed only in a pair of utilitarian blue dress pants, and black socks and shoes. His shirt and Turk jacket had been removed for this procedure.

The Mako tank was, at the moment, empty save for the body of Tseng, which was strapped down to a gurney in the middle of it. The gurney was rigged to a remote which could cause it to lift out of the tank and set it down, where it could then be wheeled to the next station.

All about the Mako tank were a series of pods lined around it, fifteen in number, each had a sedated Shinra guard inside. The pods were air tight, and supplied oxygen into them via a small pump to the side of it. Originally, Hojo's assistants had hand picked each soldier for spurious reasons. Lack of family, friends, contact with the outside world, mental instability and so on. The Professor wouldn't have any of that nonsense, though, so he'd assigned the job to Trask. The large Soldier had efficiently picked the most physically perfect Soldiers he could find, including former comrades-in-arms.

Tests had shown that eight human Soldiers would be needed. Normal Mako energy wouldn't cut it. It had to be pure, undiluted human energy. However, Hojo had reviewed the projections, and wondered about the possibility of some of the Mako energy 'returning to the Planet' despite his devices keeping it contained. Just to be certain, he'd upped the number to fifteen.

This was why no one wanted to explore the field of resurrection. At best, it would take eight lives to bring back one. And worse, the process would be ever so painful for the revived subject.

The Professor only smiled as he walked about the room and firmly shut the valve on each air tank, thus depriving the Soldiers of much needed oxygen. Sedated as they were, they died peaceful, painless deaths. One might say it was the greatest act of mercy Professor Hojo had ever committed. Hojo himself knew different. A more violent death would potentially ruin the Mako flow.

Mere minutes after the death of each subject, a steady hum began to sound throughout the room as the machines siphoned green Mako energy from the pods and flushed it through newly opened valves and into the tank. In moments, Tseng Katsuo's body was completely submerged in Mako energy.

Hojo looked over the readings and frowned. "Hmm... I managed to captureninety percentof it after all."

The extra Soldiers had died for no reason. Oh well. He'd make use of the excess in future experiments. He absently wondered if he could get Trask to kill any of the other Turks cleanly so they could be resurrected in a similar manner. If not, there would always be other people.

He thumbed the control panel on the side of the tank and the gurney raised up, moved a little to the left, and then dropped down slowly. Hojo looked over Tseng's body and noticed signs of healing, skin color returning, though there would always be a scar where Sephiroth had stabbed the man. Pulling back one of the man's eyelids, he nodded to himself. Tseng's eyes now gave off a bright lavender color, a side effect of the Mako process. It was so similar to the Soldier enhancement, Hojo wasn't at all surprised to see this development. The eye color wouldn't stay, of course. Not until Hojo allowed for phase three.

But now for phase two.

Wheeling the corpse over to the opposite side of the room, Hojo began to hum off key a tune he'd once heard one of his test subjects humming while trying to keep his mind off the pain of various experiments. It was a catchy tune.

Once to the next station, Hojo pulled a large turret-like object affixed with a needle on the end from the ceiling, pointing it at Tseng's body. The device was also Mako-powered, and functioned by transmitting Mako energy through an emitter array, which essentially turned concentrated Mako into radiation by removing the physical properties of the substance and then transmitted the remaining radiation (the "essence of the Lifestream," according to studies made by scholars at Cosmo Canyon) towards the host. Hojo thought it sounded a little mystic, but he was willing to let that slide for the purpose of this procedure.

The cells left in the host's corpse, which would depend both on the length of time the host had been deceased and the condition the body had been stored in that time, would be excited back into life by drawing on the Mako radiation passing through the host's body.

The process had to start with the heart and then the remaining lower brain functions, following the exact pattern of a developing foetus. Any deviation from this procedure would result in anomalies in the host, from simple metabolic changes to visible physical mutation. Because the process started by restoring the brain functions before much of the body, the process would inevitably be extremely painful to the host. It was noted by the Canyon scholars that this would be a result of reversing the natural process of life - that because "becoming one with the Planet" was a peaceful transition means being reanimated would be a painful one, and that the soul would cry out against such an unnatural process - however their views are founded in philosophy rather than scientific fact.

The reanimated cells, once fully excited, could return to producing energy on their own, however it must be noted that while most cells could be reanimated with almost certain success, the process was a long one and due to the specific order the body must be revitilised in the host wwould endure massive mental trauma during the procedure. In most cases, the host would have no memory of this experience, however Canyon cosmologists maintained that the "scars inflicted upon the tattered remains of the host's soul are irriversible, and will adversely affect it's wellbeing irrevocably." More tripe from those fools, naturally.

The host would return to full consciousness within a few hours of completing the procedure, however base functions like muscle movement were immediately restored, usually with violent outbursts, so scientific staff were warned to be prepared. The host's memory could be restored to within 84 of their previous capacity, however the longer the host was dead the more loss of memory they could be expected to suffer.

It was extremely important to note that restoring a body to life in no way means that the person would return as they were before they died, and that the host was revived in exactly the same state as it was currently in - therefore dead cells would not be affected by exposure to Mako radiation. If the corpse was fully decayed, then there would close to no chance of revival, and the further the state of degeneration the more adversely the procedure will be affected - even a host who had been dead for a month would affect the probability of success from between 7 and 12 percent. There were also instances of not only extreme memory loss, but memory gain. Cosmologists theorised that the host could inherit memories of other people through their spirit energy, and that the more concentrated the source of Mako the higher they would be affected. This theory remained untested. No one had ever made it that far with the resurrection procedure.

In a nut-shell, it made dead people live, albeit with poor memory and muscle spasms for the first day or so.

But that was easily fixed. Still humming, Hojo flipped the switch and let the machine do its work. He went to go find something to do while it began to regenerate the subject. A few minutes of searching turned up a book of crossword puzzles. An hour into doing his crosswords, the corpse began to move, and shortly after that, a gurgle that was beginning to turn into a hoarse scream sounded from the body. Hojo beamed. He was much closer than anyone else had ever been. He went back to his crosswords, which were proving far too easy for a man of his intellect.

Time went by, and Tseng's voice gave out after an hour of screaming. Perhaps it was involuntary, the vocal chords flexing and such. Or perhaps the Elders at Cosmo Canyon were correct. And maybe Chocobos could fly.

"Sir!" Trask's voice barked, and the scientist rolled his eyes and slammed his crossword and pencil down on the table he was seated at, turning to face his lackey.

"What is it, Trask?"

The man stood at attention, his face blank and his body stiff, betraying nothing. But Hojo knew the man hated him. It didn't matter. He'd long since broken Ivon Trask years ago.

"Four guards have failed to report in. They're supposed to be guarding the entrance to the science department. I believe the Turks have decided to make their move."

Hojo nodded absently. "I'm not surprised. It was inevitable. They must know that I have their former companion. How many soldiers do you have stationed outside my lab?"

"Thirty, sir. Not including myself. The best I could muster. Not even the Turks could get by them without taking losses."

A loud explosion sounded by the door, and Hojo sighed. He moved to stand beside Tseng, and thumbed the man's eyes open. Oh yes, he was alive. Dreaming somehow, but alive. His body wouldn't be able to work properly for a few more hours, perhaps even days. Oh well. On to phase three then.

Phase three was the simplest of them all. Hojo merely pulled a needle from his pocket and stabbed it directly into Tseng's heart. The man's body convulsed, his arms thrashing and legs kicking.

"That sounded like a Shinra-issue missile launcher," Hojo said, remarking at a second explosion. "Your thirty men are more than likely quite dead by now."

He didn't even turn to face Trask as he said it, merely took Tseng's pulse, checked his eyes again, then nodded to himself. The man probably had little memory now, and was easily susceptible to commands. Especially with that strain of the Jenova virus he had just injected into the former Turk. Taking a second needle from his pocket, Hojo injected some adrenaline into the man, this one also going into the heart. Tseng lurched, jerking upwards, his eyes opening on their own.

"RES-Subect Zero," Hojo said. "Do you remember anything?"

The man looked confused, shaking his head, and mouthing the word 'no.' His vocal chords were probably still raw from all that previous screaming.

"As expected. RES-Subject Zero, my name is Augustus Hojo. I am your master. Do you understand?" When Tseng failed to nod, Hojo produced a controller from his pocket, and pressed a button. Tseng jerked upright as an electrical shock emanated from the base of his skull and sent out neural pain to the rest of his body. The chip had been installed prior to the resurrection technique, and was now proving quite effective. "Do you understand?"

Tseng furiously nodded.

"Excellent." Drawing a knife from underneath his lab coat, he handed it to the Turk. "Your mission is simple. Kill anyone who attempts to enter through that door."

Tseng looked at the knife, then the entrance to the lab, and hopped from the table. His feet touched down on the ground, and there was no sign on unsteadiness. Remarkable. By introducing the Jenova virus into the equation, the muscle spasms had been completely eliminated. Those legs should be atrophied, the muscles non-compliant. And yet there Tseng was, standing perfectly.

A smile crept upon Hojo's face. He hadn't felt this proud since... well, since Sephiroth had summoned Meteor.

The doors burst open, and in stepped the Turks. Reno, Elena, Cait Sith and... Hojo frowned. A girl, about sixteen years in age. So, Trask had been wrong. Rude Seirath was not the final member of this party.

"Cait, do it!" Reno said.

A looked of concentration covered the cat's face, and Hojo frowned. Immediately he felt the modem in his brain activate, and he began to panic. Somehow that little doll had figured out a way to send a signal back to the implant!

Luckily, he knew the secret to the implant. It had a very limited range on the length it could sent its transmissions. Without even explaining himself, Hojo turned and ran in the opposite direction, away from the cat and towards the back doors.

"It's no good! He's too far!" Cait cried, and Hojo laughed. As long as he could keep twenty seven feet away from that cat, he was safe.

He kept that in mind even as he heard a gun shot and felt something pierce his side. He gasped, and clenched at the area just above below his left kidney. One of the Turks had shot him!

Well, he wouldn't let them have him that easy!

"Trask! Zero! Kill them! Kill them now!"

He didn't turn back to see if they complied. Clutching his side, he ran.

Author's Note:

Damn was that one long. This chapter was co-written by Nisus. I'd like to thank him for giving me ideas. We really tried to make Hojo seem very dry, analytical, and insanely evil. I hope we pulled it off. And I see that no one's registered an account on the Final Trinity Message Board. Shame on you guys. It doesn't require anything, and your mailbox won't be spammed, so don't worry. It's linked on my author page (Well the Final Trinity site is, and from there, the Message Board). So come on ... check it out, eh: P


	62. Flee The Demon

Author's Note:

Time for the rotation to get totally fugged up. Now we have … Vincent! Sort of. More like Dweir, one of the three Yenta Pree. But Vincent's kicking his ass! I don't own Final Fantasy. A sued Tyramir is a sad Tyramir.

Chapter Sixty Two

Flee the Demon

Dweir rocketed through the sky, propelled forward by a stream of lightning. It was a trick he'd mastered a while back, pooling Ephain's control of lightning and using it as a form of flight.

Blast that Veishan! This had been his own project, carefully manipulating the Planet's champion, Cloud Strife. Illusion had always been his strongest talent, and he preferred to use it to bring his foes down. But Veishan and his clumsiness and his need to boss the other Yenta Pree around had brought about Dweir's downfall. He hadn't wanted to go and reinforce the manipulations on Strife. And he most certainly hadn't wanted to go near that Demon with its shining blade, the one he had identified as Vincent Valentine.

_Damn you, Veishan!_ he screamed through the Link.

Once more the other man didn't reply. He was up to something, and he was keeping it hidden. Could he have found a working reactor? Could he be a step ahead of Dweir and Ephain?

Blast him. It would be just like Veishan to grab at power while the other two were doing the dirty work. All Veishan had to do so far was kill Strife, and he'd blown that completely.

_What's happening? _Ephain asked through the Link.

_I have a Demon chasing me! Strife knows I was trying to manipulate him, and Veishan's off trying to grab power for himself! Can you help me?_

_Sorry. I'm on the wrong continent to help you. I'm trying to mould Rufus into a useful tool. But he's filled with questions. He keeps asking us what our plans are, and he keeps telling me than Jenova's dead. I keep feigning surprise and disbelief every time he mentions it._

_Never mind Rufus! I. Have. A. Demon. Chasing. Me._

_That's your problem._

_No, it's _our_ problem. I think he's one of the enemies mentioned in the prophecies! How does it go again? What do I have to do?_

A pause. _As I recall, the prophecies said 'Flee the Demon.'_

_I'm doing that now! It's not helping! _He looked back, and gulped. Valentine was only thirty feet away from him, an expression of calm on his face, his sword readied to strike. It had already been proven that the blade could easily penetrate whatever energy shield he cast about himself.

He raised up a hand and conjured up a spear of ice, sending it hurtling towards the man. Valentine gave a small shift, and easily dodged it. Dweir swore.

Dweir screamed across the Link, _You have Jenova's writings! Look up her prophecies! There has to be something in there that can help!_

_Just a moment._

Dweir almost sent a nasty retort through the Link, but decided not to. He yelped as a sword blade came swinging at him and nearly connected. He had dodged just in time to avoid being skewered. Another swing managed to nick his arm, and he countered with a small fireball, drawn from Veishan's powers. Valentine deflected the fireball with his sword, and Dweir swore.

_Hurry!_

_I'm busy translating. I'm only so good with Ancient Cetra._

Dweir's heart hammered in his chest as he was forced to dodge another sword stroke and sent a blast of lightning at his opponent in response. He wasn't good in combat! He was made for manipulation and controlling other people. He'd never really had to fight before. This was insanity!

_Found it! _came Ephain's triumphant call.

_That's nice. What does it _say?

'_No blade shall cut the Demon, No spear will pierce his flesh, No weapon will ever harm him, Only in health will he die._

_Only in health will he die? _Dweir asked incredulously, pouring on some extra power to his flight to escape Vincent's next slash. _What in Mother's name is that supposed to mean? Accursed prophetic garbage!_

_Calm down. Think it through. You're supposed to be the smart one out of us._

_Calm down? I have a bat-wing psychopath with a two hundred foot long sword coming after me! I'd like to see you stay calm in similar circumstances!_

_You've been spying on Strife's party ever since Mother originally called for our help. When her precious _son _failed to protect her. _

Out of the three Yenta Pree, Ephain had been the most offended by Mother choosing Sephiroth over them. Veishan had been upset that they hadn't been allowed to share in her glory and grab potential power, but Ephain had felt rejected, as if Mother had abandoned them entirely in favour of her son.

She continued, _What do you know of this Vincent Valentine?_

_For one, he doesn't normally have wings or that damnable sword! It can slice through my shields like they're not even there! He wouldn't even be able to wield it properly if not for his flight!_

_Wait. This demonic form is not his own?_

_From the way I understand it, he's some sort of shapeshifter. He moves between forms, one being a bat-winged Demon. He should be either a full man or a full Demon! I do not understand!_

_He must be stuck between forms, _Ephain mused. _'Only in health will he die.'_ _You must cure him, you fool! Change him back to fully human!_

Just like that. The answer was that easy. He nearly stopped in mid-flight as he marvelled at the simplicity of it. He turned about, cast both his hands forward, and concentrated on curing the man, calling forth all the white magic he possessed. He had never dabbled too much in curative magic, never quite relying on it or seeing a real purpose for it, preferring instead to concentrate on illusion and subterfuge. But now, he pooled all the power he had while Ephain slammed as much knowledge of white magic as she could through the Link, giving him a crash course in what he needed to know.

The spell was complex, and he barely understood any of it as it leaped from his hands, an invisible net of energy that wrapped around Valentine. A glow surrounded him for a second, and the man screamed.

And then he was two.

To one side was a bat-winged Demon, howling in fury, and to the other was a man, complete with sword and black clothes, still hurtling through the air due to momentum. Dweir paused in mid-flight as he marvelled at it.

It worked!

And then he realized in horror that Vincent was still hurtling forward from his own momentum, one arm out-stretched. Before he could charge his own lightnings to rocket away, Vincent had grabbed him with his clawed hand, digging his metal fingers into flesh. Dweir yelped in pain, and the sudden weight began to pull him down.

_What's happening? _Ephain asked.

Dweir didn't answer her, instead yelling at Vincent, "Let go! I can't fly with your weight! You'll kill us both!"

"Fair enough."


	63. Enemy From Below

Author's Note:

Sorry about the delay. May 2-4 weekend. Queen Vic Day and all. That, and I was feeling pretty unmotivated to write at all. A friend lending you Knights of the Old Republic I and II will do that to you, heh. I don't own Final Fantasy. Final Trinity is coming. Congratulations on whoever "Jessia" is for making an account on the message board. Shame on the rest of you for slacking off. : Þ

Chapter Sixty Three

Enemy From Below

Cloud stood patiently at the front of the remainder of the Cosmo Canyon-Corel-Gold Saucer army. They had made amazingly good time for a ragtag group of soldiers, most of them with no formal military training. They'd manage to stay in formation, and allow no one to fall behind. These were hardened men. All sides of the army had lost something, and while this coming battle would not bring back the glories of the past, it would ensure it would never happen again.

"The hell's takin' him so damn long?" Barret grumbled, pacing with an air of frustration along the front lines.

Cloud smiled. While he represented the calm, disciplined soldier that the army was now beginning to look up to, Barret was the righteous fury that symbolized the smiting the Tali Hishna were about to receive.

"Red is probably scouting the entire around Corel, covering all the bases."

Barret snorted. "It don't take that long. When last time we was in there, we were in an' out in no time at all. I'm worried. I say we go in there an' kick some damn ass!"

"You would," Cloud said ruefully. "But you're right. Red might be in some trouble. A part of me wants to go in there and make sure he's safe, and commit our entire force just to be sure. Another part of me wants to go ahead just by myself, so I won't lead the army into a trap accidentally. But I'm not sure. One way says too much force, the other not enough."

"The hell frogs you been lickin', Spike? You an army jes' by ye'self. But I know what you're getting at. I say we go in there with everythin'. If they found Red out, then they know we're here. An' if Red's all right, he'll catch up to us before we get too close."

Cloud nodded, his resolve firming. It was decided. In moments, the orders were given, and the troops rallied into position. The march started up across the endless plain into the valley of Corel.

Just as they entered the valley, a red figure came charging towards them. Recognizing their companion, Cloud ordered the army to slow, but not to stop.

"We must hurry!" Red XIII announced as he closed the distance between himself and Cloud.

"What's happening?" the Soldier asked.

"Corel is still abandoned, but the reactor is not! That's why neither Barret nor myself saw the Tali Hishna the last time we were here. We did not investigate the reactor. We must get there quickly!"

"Why?"

"Something is happening at the reactor. An odd glow. It does not bode well. But more so, an army from the north is attacking the Tali Hishna. They're faring well, but they need assistance."

"Who is it?"

"They're Wutaian soldiers, reinforced with artillery units from Rocket Town. I don't know what they're doing here, but-"

"I don't care why they're here!" Barret interrupted, "So long as they are! C'mon, Spike, let's go!"

* * *

Cloud's army, bolstered by news of reinforcements, pushed on until they reached the reactor, and saw the makings of a true battle. Men bedecked in armour that belonged to an era past, an era without Shinra, exchanged blows with white-clad albinos. Concentrated battle calm was met by unwavering zeal. On one end, the Wutaian ranks were assaulted with attacks regulating between fire, ice and lightning. On the other, the Tali Hishna were driven back with mortar shells fired from cannons that only the engineers of Rocket Town could produce.

"What's the order?" Barret asked.

"Me, you and Red XIII are going to locate the Yenta Pree and kill him."

"And what of us?" someone from the army asked.

Cloud smiled, then drew his sword and raised it overhead. "Charge!"

As one the army charged ahead, Barret and Red XIII flanking Cloud, the rest of the troops surging behind the three leaders. A war cry erupted from the mouths of everyone who moved, whether a simple statement of 'For Corel!', 'Gold Saucer!', shouts of defiance or an ancient Cosmo Canyon battle hymn or an unintelligible scream, everyone made some sort of noise as the ranks of the army of Corel, Gold Saucer and Cosmo Canyon crashed into the army of the Tali Hishna.

Assaulted on two flanks, the White Scourge was thoroughly decimated. Cloud took no time to fully assess the damage the enemy was receiving, but instead swung his sword in massive arcs, cutting opponents down before they even had the chance to protect themselves. He hacked down enemies three or sometimes even four at a time, clearing an awesome path. Barret fired indiscriminately into the flanks of the path Cloud opened up, and Red XIII brought down any stragglers that dared attempt attack the vulnerable Barret or Cloud, the two caught up in such a battle frenzy they paid no heed at all to their own defence.

The three ploughed through the enemy army as any farmer would a field of wheat.

They left their own troops behind and moved ahead, breaking through the enemy lines and towards the reactor. A token force of fifteen Tali Hishna stood at the gates of the reactor. A barrage of bullets from Barret's gun-arm later left fifteen small piles of ash. The three ran inside, not bothering to look back or reassure themselves that their army would do well without them.

Once inside, Barret let out a whistle, and Cloud gave a small nod. The entire facility hummed with power.

"Curious that they managed to get the reactor not only functional, but exceeding a normal reactor's power outputs," Red XIII stated, striding down the corridor while seemingly listening to something.

"What makes you say that?" Barret asked as he followed.

"The hum. A normal reactor does not make noise like this. It is producing more power than it should be. I would have thought that a technologically backwards race like the Tali Hishna wouldn't know the first thing about operating a Mako reactor."

Cloud said, "It's not that difficult to explain. The Tali Hishna have probably been watching us for some time. They set me up to help kill Jenova. They obviously planned all this in advance. So they probably spied on Shinra and figured out how to work their reactors before they made their first move."

Red XIII nodded. "That would make sense. Your hypothesis is astute, and more than likely correct. Still, it makes me wonder why they would need a reactor in the first place?"

"Not one," Cloud corrected. "Three. They're trying to get control of three reactors."

"Hmm… three reactors. And you said there were three Yenta Pree?"

"Yes, that's what Cid… no, that's what the Yenta Pree told me. I'm not sure how reliable that information is."

"The best lies are often filled with enough truth to make them seem real," the feline said. "More than likely he was speaking the truth about their numbers. I do not believe the number between reactors and Yenta Pree a coincidence."

"What do you think they're doing?" Cloud asked.

"Remember Sephiroth's plans with Meteor?"

"Yeah," Barret said. "Who'd forget? Smash the shit outta the world with a big chunk o' rock from space."

"That was only a means to an end," Red XIII corrected. "Sephiroth anticipated the Planet to gather spirit energy from the Lifestream to heal the wound cause by Meteor. From there, he would gather the spirit energy into himself and absorb its power, thus becoming something akin to a god."

Cloud scratched his chin with thought. "So you think, what? The Yenta Pree are attempting to optimize reactors to gather large amount of Mako into one spot so they can absorb it and become more gods themselves?"

"Not gods. They're not powerful enough for that, and there's not nearly enough spirit energy. But I would estimate that there's enough power here to amplify them perhaps… ten fold? Maybe twenty? Definitely not gods, but still incredibly powerful. I shudder to think at it."

"Then we'd better hurry," Cloud said.

"Damn straight," Barret echoed.

But even as their determination and resolve deepened and they began to move forward with new purpose, the lights began to flicker. Barret swore, and Cloud shouted, "Hurry!"

The three bolted down the corridors. As the lights flickered, a pair of Tali Hishna walked down from side paths. Red dove threw the air and brought one down, tearing immediately at its throat as Cloud swung Ultima Weapon and split the other neatly in half.

Barret grunted. "Don't even know why these sons of bitches even try to stop us."

"They don't! They seek to delay us!" the protector of Cosmo Canyon cried, and even as he did, the lights went out entirely.

The three moved on, heading towards the main reactor. Cloud and Red XIII ignored stairways entirely, vaulting down them with superhuman speed. Barret puffed in the background as he was forced to run the stairs, not nearly as athletic or inhuman as his two companions.

When they reached the main walkway to the reactor, Cloud stopped, looking about, a buzzing feeling in his head. "Stop."

Red XIII skidded to a halt, and Barret finally caught up to the two, wheezing and placing his good hand on his knee, bent over and trying to catch his breath. The man looked grateful for the rest.

"What is it?" Red asked.

Cloud looked at the path ahead and frowned. "The Yenta Pree is not in there."

"Where's it at then?" Barret asked, almost sounding offended about the fact that his enemy wasn't where he should be.

"I'm not sure, but… he's… he's below us." Cloud looked over the walkway below, down to the Mako pool beneath them which glowed with an eerie white light. He shuddered as he remembered the last time he'd fought a battle in a place nearly identical to this. Sephiroth's sword in his guts, Zack and Tifa nearly dead in a room not twenty feet from him.

"Below us?" Barret ask. "Easy way to fix that, then. Like shootin' fish in a damn barrel."

Barret leaned over the walkway and pointed his gun-arm down, then opened fire. The song of violence rang out, the shots ripping through the Mako and below. After a moment, Barret fiddled with the attachment of his gun-arm, and the bullets ceased, only to be followed up by rocket-like shells. After a few moments, the large man stopped completely and smiled triumphantly.

"Well, that was easy. Li'l shit didn't even put up a fi-"

"Did you really think it would be that easy to kill us?" a voice echoed throughout the room.

Barret swore, and Cloud felt a battle calm settle over him. He peered over the edge and saw a figure emerging from the Mako, a white force field surrounding it.

"We are Veishan," the voice said. "We are the Yenta Pree. We are death."


	64. The Super Amazing Flying Furball

Author's Note:

Reno: Okay. What the _hell_ is up with the name of this chapter?

Reeve: I don't see anything wrong with it. I kind of like it.

Reno: … Never mind. I thought I was supposed to be the stupid one.

Reeve: But you are.

Reno: Oh right. Anyway, Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy.

Chapter Sixty Four

The Super Amazing Flying Furball

Aeris stood at the elevator to Lower Junon waiting for Gerald to return with Reeve. She knew she had to go outside and confront Rufus, but she also knew that she couldn't allow Reeve to die if he were truly injured. Decisions like these were always the worst. But in the end, she compromised, thinking that if she managed to heal Reeve quickly enough, she could still go outside and personally deal with Rufus and Ephain.

The problem was, she wasn't sure she would be able to. Against Ephain? Possibly. Against Rufus? On the luckiest day of her life. Against both of them at the same time? Visions of a pink and red stain on the ground outside of Junon came to mind. She tried not to think of it.

Instead, she twirled Princess Guard about in her hands, focusing more on that, and working through what she would do. She'd obviously have to take care of Rufus first. Ephain was deadly, that was certain, but Rufus now carried the Mark of Blood Letting. He would still retain some defensive capabilities such as healing, and be able to cast offensive magic. And he had a shotgun and Murasame. All the cards were in Rufus' hands now. He had all the power, and worse, he had influence on both sides. His defection would crumble the morale of Shinra, and cause many to defect. And more than likely, he was now a heroic figure in the eyes of the Tali Hishna, bolstering them.

"Ma'am!"

Aeris stopped her staff twirling and looked over to see Gerald half carrying Reeve towards her. The man had somehow lost his suit jacket and his shirt was stained with blood. His face was pale, and drenched with sweat. There was a faraway look in his eyes.

She immediately rushed to them, calling up her white magic. But as she approached, something tingled at the back of her head. A feeling of apprehension. Of wrongness. Something definitely wasn't right. Once Gerald put Reeve down and turned him about, she chalked it up to the gaping bullet hole in his side. That kind of wound definitely was _not_ right.

"Who did this to you?" she asked as she grabbed the fabric of his shirt and ripped it.

"Turks," he managed to rasp, his voice bordering on deliria.

Placing her hands on his wound, she immediately withdrew them with a hiss. This wasn't even the worst of the two, for she now knew that he had two wounds. She felt his pain as soon she touched him.

"He's wounded somewhere else. I need to find that one first," she stated.

Gerald nodded and tore Reeve's shirt off, ripping it nearly to shreds in the process. The two carefully ran their hands over him, wiping blood off his torso, but found nothing save the bullet hole, which had been hastily bandaged at some point earlier.

Gerald moved as if to take off Reeve's pants, unbuckling his belt, but Aeris shook her head. "It's not there. Any wound that low wouldn't be giving off the pain I feel.

Pointedly looking at Reeve's crotch, Gerald said, "I beg to differ."

Aeris frowned at him, then said, "It's…"

She moved her hands along Reeve's neck, and then through his hair. Her eyes widened as she felt a bloody hole behind his left ear. Had he been shot there, too?

Gerald instantly craned Reeve's head to the side and looked over it and denied her suspicions. "Too small for a gunshot. Looks like it was done with… a knife? Maybe a scalpel. Looks like something may have been pulled out?"

Reeve managed to groan. "He'll never get rid of me now…. No more chip… All mine. Mind is mine and body is mine… all mine, all mine."

Gerald gave her a questioning look, and Aeris stated, "He's delirious. Ignore him. I have to heal that wound. Stand back for a second."

Placing her hands on the wound, she made a disgusted face. There was definitely something wrong with the injury, but she wasn't sure what. A definite sense of wrongness permeated it. She pushed the thoughts from her mind and focused her power, a calm breeze coming through the air, touching at Reeve's head injury and expanding, moving to his side and mending the wound. Even as she did, she heard what sounded like a battle cry.

"Yar!" came the call, a small black and white figure complete with a red cape and gold crown leaping through the air directly at Reeve.

Even as the small bundle of fur flew at her and Reeve, claws of one hand extended, a megaphone in the other being brandished like a weapon, the healing wind caught up the robotic cat Aeris now identified as Cait Sith, its energies surrounding it and Reeve both.

Reeve gasped abruptly, jerking upright, and the robotic cat fell from mid-air and landed on the ground with a deliberate _thump_.

"What just happened, ma'am?" Gerald asked, obviously confused.

"I'm not sure. Reeve's healed at least."

The bloodied man groaned, and brought a hand to his face. Reeve jolted, as if just noticing something, his eyes widening. "More than you think, you lovable, pink, beautiful… lovable girl!"

Reeve wrapped his arms around Aeris and rained kisses on her, and the Cetra was too startled to push him off right away. Once she did, Reeve made a few apologetic noises, and then let out a great sigh.

"You're welcome," Aeris said, confused. "I think."

"You… you… horrible witch!" came an extremely loud call.

Aeris turned to regard the small Cait Sith doll, megaphone up and placed against his lips. He was standing imperiously, and shaking one small fist at her. "I will have my revenge against you for this indignity!"

"I'm sorry, but… what?" Aeris asked.

"Don't mind him," Reeve said. "He's just upset because he's a small, robotic cat. Speaking of which… Can I borrow that?"

Reeve pointed to Gerald's sword, and the man, looking just as confused as Aeris felt, nodded.

"Excellent! What an obliging fellow."

Reeve took the sword from Gerald and upraised it, then charged at Cait Sith, laughing maniacally. "Bahaha! My day has come! Die, you little bastard!"

Cait made what sounded like a gulp, the sound enhanced through the megaphone, and turned and ran away, Reeve following after him, swinging his borrowed sword wildly. The bearded executive looked quite the psychotic, no shirt, pants falling down from an undone buckle, covered in blood and swinging a sword with no regard to skill or finesse.

"Chop! Chop! Chop!" he yelled as he ran.

Aeris watched the spectacle, stunned, eyes wide. "Do you have any idea what just happened?"

Gerald numbly shook his head. "No, and I don't suspect I'll ever find out. This just stinks of 'need to know.'"

Aeris looked down at her hands, and noticed they were still covered in Reeve's blood. She quickly wiped them off on the rags of Reeve's old shirt, then gasped.

"What is it?" Gerald asked.

"Rufus!" she exclaimed, having completely forgotten about the man. She stood up hurriedly, straightened out her dress, picked up her staff, and ran towards the elevator.

Author's Note:

Well. That's one plot line mostly resolved. I had _fun_ writing that one. I nearly laughed out loud as I wrote it. But I'm at work, so I had to keep that sort of stuff in. I'm a little worried that I resolved it a bit too quickly. Ah well. I like it.


	65. Trump Card

Author's Note:

Reeve: Did you see that shit?

Reno: What? That really fucked up chapter?

Reeve: That chapter kicked _balls_. Namely, Hojo's.

Reno: Yeah. Right. I thought I was supposed to be the stupid immature one for sure. But you, sir. You take the cake. Mostly for kicking Hojo in the balls.

Reeve: Well, I haven't done that yet. But don't you worry, I will! And did you catch that 'Bridge of Birds' reference? Oh man, Tyramir is a literary _genius_ at times.

Reno: Except when his writing sucks balls. Namely, Hojo's.

Reeve: Bah! Tyramir doesn't own us anyway. Too bad. I'm just starting to like him.

Chapter Sixty Five

Trump Card

Tifa rode ahead of her army on Cloud's motorcycle, the militia from Kalm at her back. Johnny, the leader of the band and former patron of her bar, had been just as annoying as ever. Loud-mouthed, cocky, over-confident, and about a million other bad habits. He had also chain smoked throughout their entire conversation, and that was an annoying habit that really bothered her. For some reason, the longer she'd been around him, the more he reminded her of someone. She just couldn't place it.

But that was neither here nor there. Up ahead of her was the enemy, the bulk of the Tali Hishna army. Now she didn't have to worry about stealth or doubling back. And she was on a motorcycle. Her army was also similarly equipped, riding in trucks, buggies, cars, and whatever else they managed to scrounge up to use as transportation.

Clenching onto her waist was Graehan, holding on desperately, afraid as if he were about to fall off. Each time she hit a bump, she swore he was about to scream like a little girl. Unused to such technology, the mighty champion of the Tali Hishna was certain he was on a wheeled death trap made exclusively to slay him. And her reckless driving didn't help the situation at all.

After a while, she was tempted to start aiming for rocks, just to get him to make some noise, if for nothing else than to somewhat amuse her. Deciding not to be that cruel, though, she tried to make the ride as smooth as possible.

Her ordeal in having to make a prolonged summon on Phoenix had left her shaken. Her body didn't feel nearly as strong as it used to be, and she would randomly shiver and quake. She managed to keep it under control whenever Graehan or Johnny were looking, but often when she was alone, she would succumb, just to let it run through her system. She wasn't surprised that it had that kind of affect on her. Summons were not supposed to be kept in the 'real' world for long, only a few seconds at best, and she'd kept Phoenix summoned for the better part of two hours.

She pushed it from her head. She wouldn't dwell. Cloud had needed her to call Phoenix and get him to Cosmo Canyon as soon as possible. She wouldn't blame him, and she most certainly wouldn't blame herself. It would pass. She knew it would.

"Eep!" came Graehan's voice as she slammed into another rock, causing the bike to bounce.

"Sorry!" she called back, and focused her mind more on the road. The path. The rugged, unmarked stretch of rock and dirt.

Something ahead caught her eye, and she brought the bike to a halt. As soon as she did, Graehan released her and leaped off, diving face first into the ground.

"Oh sweet mistress," he said. "How I have missed you. I promise never to leave you again."

Tifa tried to ignore him. While he was ever bit the gentleman and fearless warrior in battle, when you put him on a motorized conveyance, he was really a small, frightened girl on the inside. With bed wetting problems.

Up ahead, she saw what appeared to be flames in the light of dawn. She squinted, and nodded. It was still a little dark to the west in the pre-dawn light, but it was still dark enough to be able to make out fire. Somehow had started a large one.

"Why did we stop?" Graehan asked.

"Because now you have to make a choice," Tifa said.

He got up to his needs and gave her a wary look. "A choice? What kind?"

"Which side you're going to fight on."

Graehan scratched at one ear, and then nodded. "A valid question. And while I have no love for my fellow comrade in arms, Crya, I hold no malice against her. I wish for honourable combat, and I won't betray my people, no matter what you or the one you call Cloud say. I must side with my people, or not fight at all."

"But you do want honourable combat," she said.

"Well, yes. I am a true warrior. I enjoy the thrill of battle, fighting against the strongest of opponents, testing myself to the extreme. I will do combat against even insurmountable odds if it means that I can prove to myself that I am the best."

"That's it then!" Tifa said cheerfully, knowing she'd tricked him, and with ease. "You'll have to fight alongside me then."

"I beg your pardon? That went by a little quickly."

"Simple. The force outside Cosmo Canyon clearly outnumbers us at least six to one. Furthermore, Crya's out there, someone who you said is one of the best. What better test than to fight against an army so much larger than mine, led by an opponent that is said to be your equal?"

Graehan gave her a narrow look, knowing he'd just been trapped. He made as if to say something, then stopped, sighed, and said, "You've unmanned me."

"No, you did that to yourself on the motorcycle. Now get back on. We've got a war to win."

"Or to die gloriously in," he added as he stood up and sat back on the bike, a look of disgust mingled with fear on his face.

* * *

Rude climbed down the rope alongside Fort Condor, a sword sheathed at his side, his holster still in place, and a large barrel tied about his torso and strapped to his back. He gritted his teeth at the effort, and once more thought about what a stupid plan this could turn out to be. 

The Red Wings followed after him, and once they touched ground, they gathered to Rude. Today there were no spears, no long weapons to push back the enemy from a cliff side. This day, they were given short swords and long knifes, daggers and pieces of string. Today would not be a battle.

It would be a massacre.

The Red Wings numbered roughly thirty teenagers. Half their number had been left behind, just in case this turned to disaster.

"Orders, sir?" one of the children asked.

Rude gave him a stern look. The plan had already been discussed. Now was not the time to be asking questions. The kid was probably joking. But Rude answered, "Kill the sentries, then as many of them in their sleep as you can. Make as little noise as possible. I'll handle the fire."

The teenager nodded, and Rude turned away, shifting the cask of lamp oil on his back. He was going to be glad to be rid of that weight shortly.

While a normal strike force such as this would travel under cover of darkness and in clothes as dark as possible, the Red Wings now sported light browns and whites, grey being their darkest colour. Sunlight provided them with cover far better than darkness ever could, the White Scourge being blinded by the light, even with their attempts to blindfold themselves against the sun.

"Move out," Rude said, and the Red Wings dispersed, moving quickly while in a crawling-like stance, scrambling across the ground and keeping as out of sight as they possibly could. They knew what they were doing. Rude had made sure of that beforehand.

He followed after, but didn't head directly towards the White Scourge camp. Instead, he stopped once he was almost there, removed the oil cask from his back, and uncorked the stopper. Then, circling the camp, he made a very thin line of oil around the camp. He didn't have enough to even encircle even a quarter of the camp, but he had enough to make a long, unbroken line. Once finished, he looked up to see his Red Wings methodically making their work along the edge of the camp. They moved up to sleeping forms, and with knives and swords and wire killed the enemy as silently as possible. He regretted sending his own men into battle with such minimal weaponry, but supplies were limited, and they would have to make due.

He counted off time in his head. Soon the Red Wings would begin to retreat, having done their damage. There was no intention of a solid victory this day, but enough of a bloody wound to completely demoralize the enemy. Once finished, Rude would set the fire to temporarily blind the enemy as the Red Wings fled.

A sudden cry erupted from the camp, and Rude silently swore. It was too early. Someone had screwed up, made too much noise, woken someone who wasn't supposed to wake until a piece of metal or string ended their life.

"Retreat!" he yelled, and took the litre from his pocket. He flicked the flint, and then dropped the small brand onto the oil. Slowly it began to catch fire. Not instantly, and not fiercely, but enough to give off a solid light, one that would burn for a while.

He looked up, searching for the Red Wings, and saw them, fleeing from the camp, afraid that Death himself was on their heels. Good. Because if they didn't run as quickly as they could, Rude would kill them himself. He'd told them so himself a dozen times.

Even as they did, though, Rude saw signs of pursuit. He dropped the oil cask and drew the sword at his side. But even as he did, he spotted a figure to his left, and a foot jutted out, knocking the sword out of his hand. The kick was followed by a solid punch to the face, and Rude's jaw rang out in pain as he fell to the ground.

"I would have your name," a female voice said. "I collect my victim's names."

Rude rolled back, narrowly avoiding a follow up axe-kick, and launched himself to his feet. He spotted his enemy instantly as he blocked a two punch combo, an albino female with a furious look on her face, undoubtedly the same female that was a member of the Triad.

Rude didn't respond verbally. He wasn't good at that, and it didn't matter. He didn't care if she knew his name or not.

The woman, knowing the answer wasn't forthcoming, said, "After I have beaten you senseless, I will torture you until you forfeit your name. I will make you live through agonies unparalleled until you've given me your name, and not until then will I grant you death."

She was too busy taunting and not busy enough fighting. He threw a punch at her, and purposely over-extended it. The woman dodged to the side, grabbed his arm, and launched him away.

"Disappointing," she said as he crashed to the ground. But even as he hit the dirt, he rolled, and drew his pistol.

"Indeed," he said, then emptied his entire clip into her torso.

As she turned to dust, Rude heard an abrupt honking noise and looked up. And there, in the east, bathed in the sunlight of the dawn, were a small army of cars, trucks, vans, buggies and at its head was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

"Red Wings!" he shouted. "Rally! To battle!"


	66. Turk War

Author's Note:

The beginning of this chapter takes place a little bit before 64, and ends... well, where it ends. Heh. I don't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters, music, graphics, story, or any of that other sweet jazz.

Chapter Sixty Six

Turk War

Reno smirked. Dealing with the guards outside had been easy. A few hand grenades here, a rocket launched from Cait's Roboguard there, and the fodder outside known as 'Shinra guards' had been neatly dealt with. Oh sure, Cait's Roboguard had malfunctioned after that and short-circuited, something about conflicting orders not to harm Shinra personnel, but that was beside the point. It was about the victory dance. And right then, walking into Hojo's lab unopposed felt like a victory dance.

Today was the day when Professor Hojo and Colonel Trask would finally be put to rest, six feet under. Whether or not they were still alive when they would be buried depended entirely on Reno's mood. He contemplated burying them both in a twelve by twelve foot metal box, with a small, Shinra-issue life support device capable of giving them air for supposedly one hundred years, and about two months worth of food and water. Reno gave their life expectancy about a week in such circumstances. Shinra always did put out shoddy life support systems. His smirk widened at the thought.

Then he heard Elena gasp. His eyes moved a little to the left of Hojo, and his smirk slipped.

There stood Tseng, in all his Wutaian glory, sporting a new pair of lavender glowing Mako eyes. But there was something more different about them than just the soft glow, something bone chilling. A glassiness, as if there was no will behind them. Reno wasn't sure what pissed him off more. The unlife that Tseng had been forced into, or the fact that even undead, the man still had perfect hair and manicured nails.

"Cait, do it!" Reno said, a growl on the edge of his voice.

"It's no good! He's too far!" Cait cried.

The look of horror on Hojo's face nearly made the whole thing worth it. The man turned and fled, and Reno reacted. As fast as he was with his Turk-honed reflexes, Elena was faster, a shot from her pistol firing out and clipping the man in the side, just above the kidney.

It was a wound known as the "Running man's problem", a shot that Tseng himself had taught Reno, Rude and Elena, supposedly made by the legendary Vincent Valentine himself. Reno made note to ask the red-caped vampire about it the next time he saw him. Reno also made not to ask Valentine if he really was a vampire and that's why he wasn't around fifty years old like he should have been.

The wound was meant to cripple, but not completely incapacitate or kill the target, meant to slow them down while two other Turks chased him down. In the 'good old days', Tseng would deliver such a wound to a target, and Reno and Rude would race each other to see who could get the fleeing culprit first.

"That'll slow him down," Reno said. "Cait, you stay here. We'll deal with Trask and Tseng first. Elena..."

She cut him off before he could finish the order he had been dreading to give. "I know. Shoot to kill."

As one, both trained their pistols at what they perceived to be the deadlier threat. While Trask was lightning fast with his hands and had a war record the size of Masamune, Tseng had earned the personal respect of both Reno and Elena, and combined with his new Mako enhancements, the two knew who the bigger threat of the two was.

As the two pistols fired, Tseng neatly sidestepped, then dropped to the ground, rolled, and moved behind the cover of a lab table, which he kicked over to shield himself. Out of the corner of his eye, Reno saw Yuffie's arm draw back and pump forward repeatedly, and in the space of a second, four metal projectiles in the form of shuriken and shaken were spinning through the air at Trask. The large Soldier, not as agile in body as Tseng but still fast, moved his right arm up to intercept the objects, each sinking into its flesh. The man made no expression of pain, just calmly removed them and threw them back in a wide arc. Reno and Yuffie dodged left, while Elena dove right and forward, closer to Tseng.

Even as Reno recovered, Trask began his menacing walk towards him and Yuffie. Reno grinned, and pulled the remote Elena had retrieved from Shera's office. "Recognize something?"

For the first time since Reno had met him, something other than the condescending superior look crossed Trask's face. Pure, unbridled dread. Reno pushed down the button in Trask's moment of hesitation, a sadistic smile spreading across his face.

Nothing happened.

Reno looked at the remote and saw a message flashing across its display screen. 'Target out of range.'

"Oh come on!" Reno said. "I'm within ten feet of him! How close do I have to be?"

The moment ended, and Trask reacted. The man surged forward, knife coming into hand and charging ahead. Reno pushed down the button repeatedly as the large Soldier bulled forth, refusing to move. Each time the message on the display screen issued forth. At the last moment, Yuffie shoved Reno out of Trask's way, and the large Soldier slammed into her, sending her into the wall. The girl slammed into it, grunting, and fell limply to the ground.

"You are weak, Melville," Trask said, turning to face Reno. "Depending on others to save you."

Reno gave one last stubborn push of the button on his remote, and when it didn't work, he tossed it aside. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cait grab it, and then begin furiously pressing the button.

"Never mind that!" Reno said. "Get Hojo!"

"But you said-"

"Never mind what I said!" Reno snapped, drawing his 'mag-rod, while shifting his pistol to his offhand. "Just get Hojo. I'll deal with this psychopath."

Cait shrugged, slipped the remote into his megaphone, and ran in the direction of the back door Hojo had exited out of.

"Just you an' me now," Reno said through clenched teeth.

"About time," came Trask's response. "I've awaited this far longer than you could possibly know. It was you who-"

"Do I look like I care?" Reno said bluntly, trying to appear uncaring to everything around him, but taking note of everything. Trask's knife was gone. Where had it gotten to? He continued, the same apathetic tone in his voice, "Obviously you have some sort of grief about me from your past. I probably stole your girlfriend, or some bullshit. Big fucking deal. Get over it, whatever it is."

"No, Melville. You committed two crimes against me. First, I was passed up for a position in the Turks over you. You received the position while I did not!"

"Boo hoo," Reno said, pretending to wipe his eyes. "And the other crime I committed?"

Trask grated, "Sector Seven."

"Figures," Reno said, lifting his pistol and firing at Trask. The aim was true, but just as they were about to strike the Soldier, a blue shield flashed forth, absorbing the hits. Reno glanced over and saw Tseng crouched down by a locker, a Materia bandoleer strapped about his chest. He swore.

"Will you deal with him?" Reno demanded, meaning to target the comment to Elena, not knowing where she was. Then, to Trask, he said, "Whatever happened to me being weak for needing help?"

Trask growled and charged forward. Reno tossed aside his gun and lit up his 'mag-rod, a genuine smile coming over his face.

* * *

Elena fired a few shots off at Tseng, only to have them deflected once more by the Protect spell he had cast on himself. Most Materia didn't seem to be working recently, but apparently the various protection spells still did.

She hated doing this. Hated fighting Tseng, hurting him. One part of her was glad to see him alive, walking about, moving so fluidly and perfectly. Another part of her felt sad, seeing this mockery of his former self walking about, some sort of killing machine that took the orders of the man who had brought him back. And another part of her was afraid. So desperately afraid. Tseng was her mentor, the man who'd taught or improved everything she knew about combat. She would never hope to surpass him. Never. And now he was trying to kill her.

Tseng took one green orb from the bandoleer he wore, and a look of concentration came over his face. When the Materia failed to work, he hurled it at the blond Turk. Elena was forced to try to dodge those projectiles, failing more often than not, green orbs striking her in sensitive locations, leaving behind bruises. This one was no exception. Even as she moved to the left, the Materia almost seemed to curve in midair, heading to her location. The ball struck her hand, and she cried out, dropping her pistol.

Out of reaction she immediately bent over to pick it up, but Tseng closed the distance between them quickly, leaping over the desk that had been his cover, and weaving around assorted tables decorated with various scientific tools. Even as he raced past one, his hand deftly picked up a scalpel, not even slowing his run at all.

As the pistol came into Elena's hand once more, she brought it up and squeezed the trigger. Her aim wasn't true enough, the bullet only grazing Tseng's shoulder. The man stumbled for a second, the left half of his body jerking backwards as the right half continued forward from sheer momentum alone. Tseng spun squarely into Elena, the scalpel flashing forward and neatly slicing across Elena's right wrist. She gasped in pain and the pistol she held on to flew out of her hand once more and into the wall where it discharged.

The couple fell to the floor, face to face, but while Elena's subconscious didn't fully register what had happened for several split seconds, Tseng adapted instantly and robotically, bringing his clenched fist up into the air and ready to smash into Elena's face. As it began its descent Elena's mind caught up with the current situation and jerked her neck muscles to the side just as Tseng's fist splintered the concrete beneath where her head had just occupied.

Somehow, she managed to both punch Tseng's wrist, causing him to drop his scalpel, brought her knee into Tseng's groin, however he just grunted and glared at the woman beneath him.

"Really not the man you used to be, huh Tseng?" she muttered just before he wrapped both of his hands around her throat and squeezed with all of his strength.

* * *

Reno's 'mag-rod crackled as he scraped it along the floor and up into Trask's face, the weapon spitting sparks and burning flesh until Trask grabbed Reno by the shirt front and lifted him bodily off the ground. With a gleeful smile, Reno shoved the rod into the vulnerable spot just below Trask's sternum and pressed the shocky button. The redhead's eyes slowly creased in disbelief at the amount of electricity the man's body was absorbing and promptly ignoring.

Trask faintly smiled and, obviously tired with this game, threw Reno into the nearest desk. The redhead slammed into it, ribs first, the desk and its contents toppling from the impact. Trask was strong, that was for damn sure. Fast, too. Grunting, he looked up and saw Trask striding to finish the job. The redheaded Turk struggled, kicking and cursing and throwing files and breakable objects out of his way in his attempts to stand up again.

"I've looked forward to this for a very long time," he said before striding forward, his hands out-stretched to snap Reno's neck like a twig.

It was at this point that Reno's infamous luck kicked in. Across the room, Elena dropped her gun, causing it to go off. Trask's head snapped to the side and he crumpled to the ground, blood running from the bullet wound in his temple.

Reno sat staring at the Soldier's body for a full three seconds before his mind could comment.

"Well, that was anti-climatic," he managed before freeing himself from the desk to help Elena.

* * *

Elena clawed at Tseng's hands, gripped as they were about her throat. She wasn't afraid of strangulation so much as the Wutaian crushing her windpipe with his enhanced strength.

If felt as if something in her throat was about to give, her head about to pop from the pressure. Her eyes bulged, and she feebly dug her nails into the offending hands, drawing small amounts of blood. Her knees bucked, colliding repeatedly into Tseng's groin, but they were quickly losing their strength.

_I don't want to die._

A shadow loomed over her and Tseng, and a foot jutted out, slamming into the side of the Wutaian's head. The man let go, falling to the side, and Elena sucked in air raggedly, rolling over onto her belly and trying to get on all fours as she did. She looked up and saw Reno repeatedly striking Tseng with his 'mag-rod, the one end blazing with electricity. Even as he did, the Wutaian would collapse for a moment, then attempt to stand up again, only to fall back down from a new strike.

With each strike, Reno shouted a word, "What! The! Fuck! Is! With! You! Damn! Soldiers! Not! Just! Dying!"

He looked as if he were about to elaborate on his little rant, but Tseng, in an amazing display of speed, managed to recover from the latest strike and spin, one foot swinging out and sweeping Reno's feet out from under him.

Elena, still gasping, managed to finally stand up, and with her left hand, drew a gun from the holster on her calf under her pants. Even as she did, a large shape pushed her aside, growling in fury. She was bowled over, and even as she oriented herself, saw the large figure of Trask, blood streaming from the side of his head, shove Tseng out of the way, knocking him hard against a wall, and grab Reno. Elena shifted her aim, no longer targeting Tseng, and pumped four rounds into Trask's back. The man didn't even seem to notice. He lifted Reno up and solidly head butted the wisecracking Turk. Reno mumbled something, and whatever it was seemed to drive Trask even further into his rage. The man head butted Reno again and again, until blood poured down the redhead's ruined nose. Elena, shocked to see that Trask was still standing, fired again, emptying her entire clip into the Soldier's back. Still the man didn't notice the injuries, although he seemed to be slowing down. Tossing aside her gun, Elena ran to Trask's left, to where the gurney where Tseng had once laid sat. Quickly positioning it, Elena pushed and ran with it, moving her fastest, and drove it right into Trask's side. The man dropped Reno, and Elena, moving more from momentum than physical strength, continued forward, slamming her unsuspecting passenger into the wall.

Trask, bleeding profusely, seemed only mildly annoyed at this latest development. He shifted himself around, blood smearing the wall, and grabbed the gurney, shoving it back. Elena slowly gave ground until finally, with one surge, the Soldier flipped the gurney over and out of her hands entirely. He advanced on her menacingly.

"Oh, Trasky-poo," came Reno's voice.

Elena managed a glance over, and saw Reno, barely standing, his face a bloody mess, holding up his 'mag-rod in one hand, his other held up, middle finger extended and wagging, in the 'come here' motion.

Trask looked between Elena and Reno, the man who was barely standing and the woman who had only sustained a few injuries, one who was capable of fighting back and presented far more of a threat versus someone who couldn't defend himself, and chose. He charged past Elena and moved straight for Reno, a look of madness on his face. Elena kicked the man solidly as he raced by, driving her foot into the back of his knee. Trask stumbled and fell face first into the ground with a satisfying _thump_.

Elena moved in, one foot repeatedly kicking Trask in the ribs, losing focus of the moment in her sheer determination to bring this opponent down. She heard something go snap, and knew that she'd broken one of Trask's ribs, possibly two. The man, even enduring the abuse, slowly tried to stand up.

The blonde redoubled her assault; beginning to aim at the man's upper torso, figuring if she broke some lower ribs, perhaps she could break some higher ones as well, maybe get the bone fragments to penetrate something necessary.

Even as she did, a moment too late she saw the figure of Tseng diving at her. She turned to face this new threat a moment too late. The Wutaian collided into her, sending the two of them reeling, towards the wall, towards-

Elena only had time to let out a small gasp as the two of them smashed into a window and outside.

* * *

Reno stood calmly, one hand placed on a table to keep himself oriented and upright, the other holding firmly onto his 'mag-rod. Through the haze and sweat and blood and his one swollen eye, he managed to make out the events going on around him.

In one corner, Yuffie was just stirring, regaining consciousness after being driven into a wall by Trask. On the other side of the room, Elena and Tseng had just taken a swan dive out of a window out looking the rocky cliffs outside Junon. Turk pragmatism told Reno that Elena was probably dead, but he hoped that the rookie was still alive. It was just him and Trask for now, either way. Until Yuffie managed to get her wind back. Then it'd be a whole new ball game.

Reno just had to distract Trask for a little while.

"So, Trask," he said, watching the man advance on him. "Gonna let me in on the details? Who'd I kill when I dropped the sector plate?"

The man stopped, a look of confusion on his face. "What does it matter to you? Do you wish to taunt me with it?"

"A little. But I figure, you're all big and bad... you probably want to get it off your chest, right?" He thumbed the button on his 'mag-rod, switching it from 'shocky mode' to 'flamy mode.'

"It doesn't matter, Melville. They're dead, and 'getting it off my chest' will not help. But your death will. I will kill you, Reno Melville, and I will live on."

Reno stood perfectly still for a second, managing to keep a straight face, then burst into laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" Trask demanded.

"You really don't know, do you?" Reno asked. "You have no idea. It's the 'enhancements', isn't it? You don't feel pain at all, so you don't know."

"Know what?"

"Elena. She shot you. Put an entire clip into your back. Sixteen rounds. You've got a bullet lodged in your skull. I've fed enough electricity in you to drop a godamn Midgar Zolom. Yuffie put four shuriken in your arm. You're bleeding _everywhere_, man. Even if you do kill me, you're not going to 'live on.' We've already killed you, Trask."

"That's where you're wrong, fool," Trask said, shaking his head in denial. "Professor Hojo can fix any injury sustained on me. He has before. He'll do so again."

Reno glanced behind Trask, watching Yuffie creep up on the large man. "Yeah. Just one thing. I don't see Hojo here, do you?"

The Soldier's eyes widened, but he continued shaking his head. "He will return. The Professor never abandons his projects. Never."

"Unless they fail him," Reno said. "Speaking of... where's your knife, Trask?"

The man's head jerked upright, and he reached for his hip sheathe, only to find the weapon gone. A moment later, his back stiffened as the weapon was returned to him, directly into a kidney by Yuffie's hand. The weapon came out again and plunged back in, penetrating the other kidney. Trask, with all his superhuman endowments was incredibly fast. But Yuffie's hands were those of a master ninja, trained by Lord Godo himself. In 2.7 seconds, Trask had stabbed Shera seventeen times. In 2.7 seconds, Reno couldn't even begin to count how many times Yuffie stabbed Trask. His mind's eye settled the count as 'a lot' and was happy with that.

Even wounded so, Trask still managed to spin around and club Yuffie across the face with a backhand, but even as he turned away from Reno, the redhead lifted up his 'mag-rod and pressed the little red button.

A small fireball blasted out the end. Trask only had time to turn around with a surprised expression on his face as the bolt struck him directly in the eyes. The man stumbled back, letting out a scream of pain. It sounded like the most beautiful music Reno had ever heard.

The doors burst open, and Reno turned to face the newcomer, fearing Shinra guard backup, that somehow, the rent-a-thugs had finally become reliable and showed up where the trouble was.

Instead stood Reeve, shirtless, pants near to falling down, with a sword in hand and blood covering his body. Reno pointed his 'mag-rod at him.

Reeve dropped the sword and exclaimed, "It's me! I swear, it's me! Ask me something, anything! I can prove it's me!"

Reno barked out a laugh, and said, "Don't worry. I believe you. Hojo wouldn't have nearly peed himself from someone threatening him."

The Turk stumbled towards the blind Trask, who was flailing his fists around wildly. Yuffie stood up, moving towards Reno, and took his arm, putting it around her shoulders.

Reno looked at Trask, then looked at the bloody knife in Yuffie's hand. He whispered into her ear, "Yuffs."

"Yeah?"

"I am so unbelievably turned on right now."

"That's so gross."

Reno let out a laugh, surprised at her reaction. He couldn't help it. "Alright, let's say we just kill Trask, then we find a bed somewhere. I don't care where."

"I am _not_ sleeping with you."

He snorted. "As if. I can barely stand. I need some sleep. I'm feeling really tired."

"Probably the concussion talking. Trask hit you in the head a lot. You look like a wreck. Sleeping right now is probably the last thing you want to do."

He smirked. "Well, I can think of one or two things you can do to help keep me awake."

"Uh, guys?" Reeve called. "We have more important stuff right now!"

"Like what?" Reno asked. "I'm trying to get laid here!"

The executive rolled his eyes. "By a sixteen year old. But that's not important right now. Hojo's getting away!"

"What?" Reno asked.

"He's prepping the Highwind and has locked all the doors. I can't get to him. I figured you could, I dunno, uh..."

Reno waved his 'mag-rod in the air. "Right. Got you. Blow him up. I'm good at killing shit. Except this fucker right here, who just doesn't want to..." He brought himself up short, looking for Trask. "... Fuck."

* * *

Elena slammed into the rock side after she flew out the window, Tseng still holding onto her. The two, a mass of limbs, tumbled down the slope of the small mountain Junon was built on, bringing up a cloud of dust and debris as they did.

Even as they fell, Tseng continued to strike her with his fists, gouge her with his fingers, and in one case, even bit her. All the while, she attempted to grab hold of something, to grasp onto anything that would let her stop falling, and save her life.

She found her salvation in a small rock that was jutting out from the main face, no longer than a foot, almost as wide as her leg. Grabbing onto it with both hands, her entire body jolted as her momentum was halted. She bit back a scream; it felt as if both her arms had just dislocated.

Something still pulled her down, though. She peered at her legs, and saw Tseng clinging on to her, a look of determination on his face. Not anger. Not fear. Just... determination. He'd been told to kill her, and now it appeared as if he'd try his best to do that, no matter what it meant. Even if he died in the process.

"_Will you ever die for your job, Tseng?"_

"_Be reasonable. My loyalty is to my paycheck first, then Shinra. I don't think I'll ever see anything worth dying for when it comes to Shinra."_

An old conversation the two had shared once. Oh how so much had changed since then. And now, looking at the situation... how stupid it all seemed.

"Tseng," she said. "I'm sorry."

The shell that was Tseng reacted, flinching away from what it expected to be a kick. But Elena couldn't bring herself to strike him. After a moment of inaction, the man looked up, catching her eyes as he did.

They both knew it. The rock wouldn't hold them up forever. She wasn't strong enough to hold them both up. Already she felt her limbs giving way, screaming in protest against this weight they were forced to uphold. The cut at her wrist that Tseng had inflicted with his scalpel began to ooze blood again. Only adrenaline managed to keep her going.

If she didn't kick Tseng off, they would both die.

She hung her head in defeat. She couldn't do it. She couldn't lose Tseng again. Even after that battle. She realized that throughout that entire fight, even though she'd been fighting for her life, she hadn't had the killer instinct required to finish it.

And now they were both going to die. So be it.

She caught Tseng's eyes one last time. And for a brief second, the glassiness faded away, leaving behind only Tseng, the consummate gentleman warrior. For one brief moment, the test subject of Hojo was gone, the robot shell left in place of the former Turk Commander.

And in that one brief second, Tseng let go.

Author's Notes:

Whoa boy, that chapter took a _long_ time to write. I'm sorry about the ... week and a half? It took. Nisus wrote a small portion of this, and in the end, he was what got me motivated to finish this chapter. I got stuck half way through, because as I was writing, my machine _decided to restart on its own_, causing my to lose three pages of work. I managed to rewrite most of it without any difficulty, but then had trouble continuing. Nisus offered to pick up where I left off, but he quickly found difficulty continuing as well. Luckily, I decided to pick up my own responsibility and finish it. Heh. A lot of the ideas in here are still his, though.

Next up is Hojo!


	67. Fire In The Sky

Author's Note:

Reeve: Yar!

Reno: Avast!

Reeve: We are mighty pirates!

Rufus: ... Seriously. I leave for like... fourty chapters, and Reno infects you with his stupidity.

Reeve: ... Yar! Walk me plank!

Reno: Dude, this isn't yaoi, you can't say that stuff!

Reeve: But we probably just upped the readership by like ten fangirls by even _suggesting_ that Rufus might 'walk my plank.'

Rufus: Reeve?

Reeve: Yes sir?

Rufus: You're fired.

Reeve: Hot dang. Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or my plank.

Chapter Sixty Seven

Fire In The Sky

Cait – _no, Hojo_ – scampered across the landing pad, Reeve right behind him, swinging his sword wildly. Up ahead was the Highwind, his last, best hope to escape the maniac who was pursuing him with such fervor. The silver airship, still unfinished, looked like a shining beacon of hope to Cai... _Hojo_.

_What's worse? _an inner voice taunted. _The sudden lack of identity, or spewing silly metaphors for a hiding place? Do you even think the airship will fly? It isn't finished yet. I heard they just installed the engines this morning. Hasn't even been flown yet. Do you think you'll escape? _

Hojo wanted to tell the voice to shut up, but it had a point. Several, in fact. For one, it was true. Ever since that Cetra witch had banished him to this accursed body – _how had she done that? _- he'd been thinking of himself as 'Cait Sith' and had to force himself to think as a Hojo persona. Worse, he had to refer to himself as a 'persona.' Had Reeve also suffered from similar problems? Was it the machine doing it, or was it something on a subconscious, human level?

Another thought for another time. Hojo scrambled up the gangplank onto the Highwind, hurriedly hopping up and slamming onto a panel on the side of the doorway once he finished ascending. The stairs retracted and the hatch shut, sealing Reeve outside.

Hojo let out a sigh of relief, and suddenly realized how foolish that was. He was a robot now. He didn't breathe, therefore didn't sigh. Human reactions. How ingrained they were.

The robotic cat walked calmly down the metal corridors of the Highwind. It was a crudely built machine, but one that would serve his purpose. Escape. He only hoped that Zero and Trask would kill the Turks so he could come back at a later date. Rufus had always been one to appreciate a genius among his ranks. But at the moment, that pesky Reeve was in the way. He would just have to bide his time.

He attempted to clasp his hands behind his back, but the megaphone he still carried got in the way. He frowned ruefully at it. No mog companion, so no point in carrying it around. He tossed it aside, and as it hit the wall, heard a rattle. The robot quirked an eyebrow, and bent down to examine the megaphone. Picking it up, he found the source of the rattle immediately. A small remote fell out. It had probably been lodged in there. Looking over it carefully, Hojo nodded to himself. Of course the Turks would steal his Soldier control. Probably as a more efficient way of dealing with Trask and RES-Subject Zero. He tried to remember the last time he'd seen it. He had left it in his lab… in his absent-mindedness, one of them had probably taken it and he'd just not noticed it. But why did the cat have it? Perhaps even with the control, Trask and Zero had overcome the Turks, and Reeve had been the only survivor of the encounter. An impressive display, to be sure. Hojo made a mental note to check the cam records of the battle upon his return.

Controller and megaphone still in hand, the cat made his way down to the bridge. Upon reaching the doors to it, he reached his first obstacle. The auto-opening mechanisms weren't working, and the manual opening control was too high for him to reach. He was forced to degrade himself by standing on his toes, reaching vainly with the megaphone as an extension to press the button. When that didn't produce enough height, he found himself hopping up and down, desperately trying to smack the offending red button that seemingly taunted him.

_Look at me,_ the button seemed to say. _I'm big and bright and red and shiny. And you can't reach me._

In a fit of frustration unbecoming Professor Hojo, he hurled the megaphone at the button. It connected, and the door slid open. With a smug smirk on his face, he retrieved his tool of button mashing and walked through the opening.

His next problem lay in the fact that he had no idea how to pilot an airship.

He'd been on the deck of the Highwind many times, and had observed the pilots somewhat in their control of the airship. Not out of any real desire to learn aeronautics, but more out of a curiosity about how the airship functioned. While it wasn't his brand of science, the field of genetics was obviously superior, it had piqued some interest in him.

Still, that wasn't enough to get by. He barely knew the basics. Searching about, a careful examination of the area by the main flight controls yielded an emergency crash course pamphlet in a small basket housed next to them. Glancing over the preface, Hojo read that it was meant to quickly teach someone how to land in the event of an emergency, such as the pilot's death. It also contained information on autopilot, and how to program a quick destination into the ship's computer. While not as safe as being manually flown, it was certainly better than nothing.

All Hojo had to figure out now was take-off.

He looked at the pamphlet again, focusing on directions for landing. It seemed simple enough. Find flat ground, then slow propeller speed, causing the ship to descend. It was more like a helicopter than it was like a plane. Simple up-to-down landing. A novice certainly wouldn't be able to land the Highwind and leave it undamaged, but they'd be able to land it with these instructions. If landing were as simple as that, then taking off should be equally as simple. If landing only required you to decrease propeller speed until the airship touched down on the ground, then logically, in order to get it off the ground in the first place, all one needed to do was find the 'on' switch and increase power to the propellers.

Ten minutes of chair-hopping to reach controls and much frustration later, Hojo found that was not in fact the case. However, he was one of the most brilliant minds of his time, and found the source of his problems right away. First, the ship's fuel gauges needed to be opened. Then the engine needed to be prepped. Then coolant had to be sent to the propellers. Hojo deduced what he had to do before daring touch a control, carefully examining each one on the bridge and making note of the labels before even activating one.

Once he was finished, buttons were pushed, switches were switched, and toggles were toggled. He nearly found himself doing a little dance in celebration, but wisely stopped before he even started. The Cait Sith persona was influencing him far too greatly.

The airship hummed to life, giving the steady sound of machinery at work. The scientist felt exhilarated, and rather proud. He hadn't done anything this challenging since… well, since resurrecting Tseng Katsuo. The elation faded, and he realized that once again, he'd just solved another problem, one that had been all too easy to figure out.

A large banging noise sounded, and Cait frowned. Too much power to the propellers? He looked at the status screen, and noticed there was nothing wrong with the power flow. Not enough coolant? He made note of that figure, and noticed it, too, was within normal parameters.

The ship banged again, and Hojo irritably went to the video display monitors. Turning them on, he found the source of the pounding immediately. Outside at the door stood Trask. The man was bleeding profusely, and his face had been badly burned. Hojo leaned over, about to open the hatch to the Highwind, then stopped, and peered at the monitor again. Behind Trask, in the distance, were three forms coming up behind him. Not running, but not exactly walking either. Hojo recognized one right away. Reeve. The other two were probably Turks. Reinforcements, then. Trask had failed in subduing the Turks.

Hojo could not abide failures.

The robotic cat made a few quick checks of the controls, and made sure the Highwind would have enough power to take off. He then programmed in the coordinates to Mideel. The Lifestream had recently up-welled there, more than likely affecting the populace somehow. Some experiments would have to be done, figures observed. An adequate use of his time for now.

Picking up the remote and the megaphone, Hojo strode purposefully to the outer deck. He would look his failure experiment in the eye as he killed him.

The door to the outer deck was not like the one to the bridge, the auto-opening function actually… functioning. The door slip open, and Hojo stepped outside even as the Highwind began to lift off. He reached the rail, and growled. He couldn't see over it. He was forced to jump up, grab onto it, and pull himself up. Standing on the rail as he was, he felt a little vulnerable as the Highwind ascended.

He looked about, and spotted Trask, the man blankly staring up at the Highwind as it took off. Behind him, Reeve, Reno, and the Wutaian girl were within a dozen feet of the large Soldier.

Lifting the megaphone up to his lips, Hojo shouted, "I have won, Reeve! I've escaped!" Then he turned to Trask, and simply said, "Goodbye, failure."

He lifted the remote up and firmly pressed the top-most button, the button reserved for the kill command.

He wasn't sure how it'd happened, but somehow he was hurled from the railing, the controller falling from his hand. A large roaring filled the air, and the Highwind lurched to one side, tipping slightly, even as it steadily flew further south. Hojo slammed into the floor, and panic swept through him.

_What's happening?_ his mind screamed.

He stood up, wobbled, fell back down, and managed to stand up again as the Highwind rocked about. Another roar… no, an _explosion_… sounded, and the Highwind jolted again. Once more Hojo was flung aside, but this time managed to recover more quickly, grasping onto a railing. He looked about, and saw immediately what had happened.

One of the propellers had exploded! Where once was a device that allowed the ship to fly, now nothing but a smoldering ruin remained. How? He'd done everything perfectly! He'd worked out how much power and coolant those accursed propellers would need precisely in his head! He'd done nothing wrong! Nothing!

It wasn't his fault. It couldn't be. Sabotage. It must have been sabotage. But how? Who could have…?

Hojo looked at the remote laying on the deck in horror. He'd done it. The remote must have been hooked up to some sort of explosive device that was attached to the propeller! Where had this dreaded remote come from? Who could have made it? Why would they have done it?

Hojo leaped for the remote. He was beyond saving now. Beyond hope. He only had one question left. _Who?_

He pawed at it, accidentally pressing another button as he clumsily grasped it. Another explosion sounded, and once more the Highwind rocked about. Hojo was thrown side to side, but it didn't matter. Tossing aside his megaphone, he pried at the remote, pulling the back off. Inside the remote, etched on the metal were the words:

_For Cid._

He didn't understand them, didn't know what their significance were. But he knew what they meant for him, even as the ship fell more and more quickly, no propellers left to support it.

* * *

Reno, held up by Yuffie, watched the Highwind take off, lifting ever higher and away from his reach. He thought of firing his 'mag-rod at it, but decided not to. He was out of range. He'd do no damage, just waste fuel.

Oh well. Hojo was a problem for another day then. There was always Trask.

He was about to point his 'mag-rod and fire a few firebolts into the man from behind, kill him while he wasn't even looking, but a voice distracted him. From the Highwind came the taunting call of Hojo's voice, amplified clearly by the megaphone. As one, Reno, Reeve, Yuffie and Trask all looked to the source to see the robotic cat, barely recognizable in the distance as he yelled, "I have won, Reeve! I've escaped!" A pause. "Goodbye, failure."

Reno smirked as he saw Cait lift one hand. He was holding something, but Reno wasn't sure what. He looked down and saw Trask's shoulders slump, the Soldier realizing his fate was sealed.

An explosion wracked the air, and Reno flinched. He looked up and saw the left propeller detonate, sending shards of metal raining through the air. He unconsciously ducked, shielding Yuffie with his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Reeve hunch down in a similar fashion.

Yuffie made a disgusted noise, and he saw a green light flash from her bracer. Metal slammed down into the newly erected Barrier spell she cast, harmlessly bouncing off. A moment later, a second explosion sounded, and more steel fell from the sky, only to bounce once more against the Barrier. Once it was finished, he looked up, and saw the Highwind falling down and southward, out of his line of sight. The ship would undoubtedly make quite the mess when it landed. He was almost kind of sad he would miss it. Fire was always kind of pretty.

Still huddled down beside the two, Reeve was the first to ask, "What just happened?"

"Shera's legacy," Reno said with a smirk.

"Excuse me?" Reeve asked.

"Took me a while to figure out. I thought she was planning on sabotaging the Highwind. I even kind of blackmailed her with the info to get her to cut the power when we freed you. Was all subtle about it, too. Looks like she did."

Reeve sputtered. "Wait. Why would she try to sabotage the Highwind? That ship was her dream."

"No, it wasn't," Yuffie said. "It was Cid's. One of Cid's, anyway."

"Exactly," Reno said. "And what happened to the last Highwind? Oh right. Destroyed, in a kamikaze attack on Shin Bahamut. Who _Rufus_ summoned."

"Wait. So Shera was planning on blowing up the Highwind to kill Rufus, as revenge for Cid?"

"My best guess anyway," Reno supplied.

"So what set off the explosion?"

Reno shrugged. "Does it matter? Hey, I just realized something."

Yuffie said, "That it was probably the controller that Elena found in Shera's office? And that, I might add, Cait had with him before he switched bodies with Hojo again?"

"Well, yeah, that makes sense, but I was kind of referring to the fact that I still haven't killed Trask yet."

Reeve barked a laugh, and Yuffie rolled her eyes. Reno, a goofy smile on his face, stood up, and peered about, looking for the black-haired Soldier. And was greatly disappointed when he found him.

When the Highwind's propellers had exploded, Yuffie had shielded the three of them from the debris. Trask, however, had not been quite so lucky. The man was lying down, face up, and pinned to the ground by a giant propeller blade, an expression of agony on his visage.

"Dammit," Reno said. "Shera hogs all the fun, even dead."

Sighing, the Turk managed to stumble towards Trask, and did the only thing he thought appropriate given the situation. He dropped his pants, and then promptly emptied his bladder upon his enemy, all the while whistling a tune.

"Oh, that's gross!" Yuffie said.

Reno ignored her. He just kept peeing on Trask's dead body, happy with his victory dance, such as it was.

Author's Notes:

I know next to nothing of flying, well, _anything_. So when it came to Hojo starting up the airship, it was pure bs, all the way. I know nothing of aeronautics, or whatever the term may be. I just hope I made it sound convincing enough. Heh.


	68. Endgame

Author's Note:

Okay, first off. Before anyone says anything, no, I did not pull "Shera's Legacy" out of my ass. For those of you who didn't catch it, I hinted rather **heavily** about it in Chapter 35, entitled 'Soldier.' If you missed it, look into it. : P

This is it, folks. The final chapter of Promised Empire. A LOT is going to happen here. After this, it's the Epilogues, and we're done. I will then be moving on to Final Trinity. Final Trinity will be under the fanfiction account FinalTrinity, not under my own. I'll be adding it to "My Favourite Authors" for ease, since I'm betting some of you are lazy and don't want to go looking.

Chapter Sixty Eight

Endgame

The army of the Tali Hishna closed ranks as the city of Junon ever came closer in their line of sight. Their morale was doing well. With the addition of Rufus and his Shinra guards to the army, this force felt as if nothing at all could stop them. They numbered eight thousand strong, fanatics to a man and woman. Every single one of these soldiers would gladly give their life in battle in the name of their Mother. These were the most zealous of the Tali Hishna, the ones most devoted to Jenova.

Ephain tried smiling to herself as she walked at the forefront of the army beside Rufus, Book of Jenova in hand. She wanted to be happy. Everything was falling into place. Junon was the one major obstacle for dominion over the world, and it would soon fall. And then the Reactor it housed underwater would be hers. And to a lesser degree, she had Rufus. His training was progressing rapidly, even if he did so alone. He never wanted anyone to see his efforts, but he assured her that they were going amazingly well. He wanted to 'surprise her.' The sentiment was sweet, but she was still worried.

It had only been moments since she had last heard from Dweir, and then there had only been silence. More, Veishan was refusing to speak over the Link. Dweir had claimed Veishan was attempting to grab power for himself. Was that merely suspicion on his part, or fact?

She was suddenly very worried.

"Something on your mind?"

She turned to face Rufus and shook her head. How could she let him know what she was thinking? He had turned to the 'winning side.' What would he do if he discovered that Veishan and Dweir were both missing? Would he switch sides again?

She smiled a fake smile and said, "Nothing, really. Dweir was just contacting me through the link. He wanted to know as much as I knew about cure spells. I sent him what knowledge I had, plus some from the book."

A half lie. She had needed to look through the book for Jenova's prophecy about the Demon. When she'd pawed through the book, she'd read the entire thing, and found herself worried. She felt suddenly a lot less sure of herself and the Tali Hishna's odds for winning this campaign.

Rufus nodded. "What are our plans?"

"Our plans?"

"After conquering Junon."

"Oh." She found it increasingly difficult to think when around Rufus. The man was like some sort of gravity well that just absorbed all rational thought and destroyed it right down to its basest components. "We bring the glory of Mother to the land, of course."

"Surprisingly vague," he said. "And I have told you that Jenova is dead many times. What use is bringing her glory if she is not alive to appreciate it?"

"Don't utter such blasphemy. Mother is alive. I can feel her." It was a lie, of course. She knew that Mother was dead. She had seen the final battle between her and her _son_, as well as his companions. Mother was finally dead. All glory for the Yenta Pree.

"She is dead," he said again, this time more firmly.

Ephain glanced about her and saw angry faces on the soldiers about them. They were not pleased to hear such things. To them, Mother was Forever. How they held onto their illusions.

She grabbed his collar and pulled his head down. Whispering fiercely into his ear, she said, "Do not say such things. You will only hurt the morale of our soldiers, and anger them against you."

She released him, and he frowned at her, straightening his coat. She wanted to say more, but decided against it. She instead peered ahead, to the north, to Junon. And stopped. She frowned at the sky, and saw something approaching.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing at a silver object in the air, fast approaching them.

Rufus looked to it, and his eyes widened in panic for a moment. "My airship!"

Carried forward by its momentum, an explosion wracked the air, sending the large object forth even faster, and hurtling ever closer to the army of the Tali Hishna.

"Get down!" Rufus shouted, even as he leaped to throw himself on her, covering her with his body.

Ephain didn't see what happened next, but heard the terrible crash and rending of earth as the horrible monstrosity slammed into the ground, just coming short of the Tali Hishna forces. Dirt spat up and shards of metal filled the air for a moment. Rufus grunted, and Ephain knew that he'd been hit. His face showed a mask, a look of utter concentration as he attempted to block out the pain.

She reached out to him and touched his cheek with her hand. He gritted his teeth and flinched from her touch. In a way, it was symbolic of their relationship. Her reaching out, him moving away. Why did he not trust her?

It ended. The sundering, the tossing of dirt, the crashing sound, the small explosions. It all ended abruptly, and when it did, Rufus rolled and fell away from her, landing unceremoniously on the ground, staring up at the sky. At first her heart leaped. Was he dead? The expression on his face only made her fears worsen, but when she reached for him once more, he caught her hand, strongly.

"Are you injured?" she asked.

He released her hand, then stood up, rising upright instantaneously, almost with no effort at all. He reached for his back, and winced, gave a tug, then removed a small piece of metal. Standing up, she moved closer to him, already calling upon curative magic of her own to heal the injury. He shook his head and waved her away.

"It's only a scratch," he said. "I can heal it."

"No, you can't," she said. She often was forced to remind herself how ignorant Rufus really was, not being a true Cetra himself, and completely unversed in their ways. It was knowledge that could only be taught by another Cetra, and it was one of the later subjects that always came up. "You've received the Mark of Blood Letting."

"What does that have to do with anything?" His voice was harsh, his eyes cold. He obviously did not enjoy the prospect of being limited in some way.

"A Cetra always starts off with basic healing magic," she explained patiently. "But at some point during their lives, they come to a crossroads, an event that defines them as a person. It's what shapes their magic. Most Cetra stay healers, their powers enhancing. But some lose that capability and gain access to different types of magic, depending on the kind of person they are. Those that are deeply in touch with their surroundings gain what is referred to as 'blue' magic, the ability to tap into everything around themselves. Others can influence space and time. There are those who are known for deceptive natures that gain illusion magic. And then there are perpetrators of great violence that gain combative, black magic. Like you."

"So you're saying that by... evolving... by coming into my own, I have lost all of my 'white' magic?" When she nodded, he said, "But I've seen you use both offensive and defensive."

"That's because I'm a healer. I cast White magic. However, every Cetra has an Element that they specialize in. My Element is Lightning. Veishan is Fire. Dweir is Ice. And because we are Yenta Pree, because we are connected by the Link, we each have access to each other's powers. I am a healer, Veishan is a fighter, and Dweir is a trickster. And each of us has our own Element. As a result, we can make it appear as if we have full use of both Black and White magic."

"And if one of you were to die?" Rufus asked. "Would you still be able to reach for the magic of the dead one?"

Ephain shrugged. "We've been acting in a pattern for so long, always in a cycle. Even though Lightning is my own magic, I call for Veishan's Fire and Dweir's Ice just as readily. Always in a pattern. Lightning, Fire, Ice. If one of us were to die... well, I'm not sure what would happen. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "Just curious. Can you heal me now?"

She smiled and called forth her healing arts, then placed both hands on Rufus' back as he turned about. The energy flowed from her into him, and the small gash that was in his back sealed up. As soon as she was done, he moved away, immediately to the large pile of wreckage.

Whatever it was that had fallen so from the sky had barely missed crippling the bulk of the Tali Hishna army. It was a large steel mass, a thing of plates and odd wheels with blades along them. Whatever it had once been, it was no longer useful. Rufus had called it an 'airship.' She had read of ships once. Devices used to traverse the water. Did an airship traverse the air? It would make sense. But judging from how it had fallen, it obviously did not do so very well.

Rufus moved about the wreckage, fires spouting and sparks spraying from parts. He made certain to stay away from those areas, and after a while, Ephain joined him, walking through the ruin of what had once been something precious to him.

Scanning over the wreckage, he abruptly stopped. Ephain hovered behind him as he ducked down, and pulled something from the debris, a cone-like object, the size of Rufus' forearm, starting off as wide as his wrist, and gradually getting larger until it was nearly the size of his chest. As Rufus began to lift the instrument from the debris, he let loose a wry chuckle.

"What is it?" Ephain asked.

"It's a megaphone," he supplied. "A device used to give orders. Usually to a mog. And unless I'm mistaken, this was called 'HP Shout', wielded by Cait Sith."

"What does it mean, it being here?"

Rufus ran a hand through his hair, holding the megaphone aloft with the other. "I'm not sure. But I suspect an enemy of mine has fallen today. All the better."

The shell that made up the megaphone was whole, but the handle was broken so that the front piece of it, when held, was missing. Using this, Rufus managed to clip it onto his belt.

"You're keeping it?" she asked.

"A trophy," he said. "No one defies Rufus Shinra, and lives. Even if I did not kill this enemy, he is dealt with. All should know this. Stare into the Whirlwind and be swept away."

* * *

Vincent groaned.

His limbs felt as if they'd been beaten thoroughly, and his ribs had seen better days. His head spun, and it took him a moment to realize that he was in fact still alive. Memories were blurry to him, but he recalled chasing after the Tali Hishna that had named himself as Dweir in a battle that had spanned the skies.

He moved, making a mental note of his various faculties. Nothing seemed broken. Moved again, ached, and pain shot through his back and good shoulder. Nothing was broken, but at best he'd probably dislocated his right shoulder.

He made no noise, and kept his movements small. If he had survived, then there was a good chance Dweir had as well. He had to give off the appearance of being dead, or at least pretend to be too wounded to fight until he was certain that his opponent was either dead or incapacitated.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he opened his eyes. And jolted at what he saw. It was nearing dusk, but he still could easily see what sat on a rock before him, staring ever so intently at him.

Grey and red and leathery, powerful muscles rippling with its every move, the horned beast sat upon a large rock as if the thing were its own private throne. The horned devil watched Vincent intently, its red eyes gleaming.

Chaos.

But how? It was Vincent's own private demon, a demon born of Hojo's twisted experiments upon the ex-Turk, a demon that represented the monster Vincent believed himself to be, the monster he tried ever so hard to redeem. Chaos was his sin, his suffering. Chaos was his hope for salvation.

"How…?" he asked, but wasn't sure on how to finished the question. How was he alive? How was Chaos there? How had they become two? How come Chaos did not finish the job that the fall did not complete?

"I allowed you to live," the creature said. Its voice was low and deep, the stuff of some hellish nightmare. "I saved you both."

Vincent quirked an eyebrow at that comment and slowly craned his head to the side, and nodded in understanding. Dweir lay on the ground, still unconscious, and looking in worse shape than Vincent was. He asked, "Why?"

"Because it is my nature to torment you, Vincent Valentine," Chaos said. "Something the one called Dweir did separated us. Always in the past I have caused you pain by assailing at your mind from the inside. But now I am on the outside, and I am confused as to how to proceed with your agony."

Vincent began to sit up and grabbing his right arm with his claw, he grit his teeth and shoved his dislocated arm back into place. His eyes shut for a moment, squeezing tight as the pain filled him, then faded to a dull ache.

"Yes," Chaos said. "Pain like that. But you are a fragile thing, Vincent, and I fear that I may break you if I tried my hand at that particular method…. Worse, I am unsure if I can survive in this state… I was never meant to be separated from you, Vincent."

"And you want me to take you back?" the ex-Turk asked incredulously. "Is that why you saved me? So that you can infect my mind again?"

"Yes," the beast growled. "I need a host. Someone to live off of. Like the parasite you have always thought me to be. But I don't necessarily need _you_."

"What do you mean?" Vincent asked incredulously.

Chaos smiled, and his eyes shifted. The Turk followed the eye movement, and looked to the prone form of Dweir. The Demon continued, "Choose, Vincent. Will you take me back, or will I merge with your nemesis, making him more powerful than ever before? It is your decision."

* * *

"Everyone! Down!" Cloud yelled.

The hovering figure of Veishan, now enlarged and appearing muscle-bound, raised a contemptuous hand at the Soldier, Barret and Red XIII, and with a snap of his fingers, a bolt of lightning lanced out, slashing through the air with murderous intent. The bolt went erratic, striking at the chains that dangled overhead from the ceiling, drawn to the steely substance. Veishan did not hesitate, raising his hand and unleashing a torrent of fire into the middle of the group, but the three were already moving. Cloud and Barret raced left on the metal walkway, while Red XIII leaped to the right. The walkway smoldered. One more the Yenta Pree's hand came up, but Cloud was ready for it.

Taking a green orb from his bracer, Cloud unleashed the spell. Veishan flinched, expecting the powerful unleashing of Ultima, or perhaps a lesser but more destructive spell that he had not yet sealed away. Instead, a shimmering appeared around Veishan, and the shield around the Yenta Pree abruptly vanished. The albino sorcerer began falling from the air, crashing towards the platform, the dispel managing to rid the enemy of all magical enchantments, including his shield and float spells.

Veishan lifted his one hand, and smooth ice appeared on the walkway, causing it to steam as it rapidly cooled down the burnt portion. Crashing down, the Yenta Pree made a grunt as he slammed into the steely path.

"Hit him!" Cloud said.

"Don't need to be tellin' me twice!" was Barret's response.

The black man's gun-arm raised, a rocket whistled its way out as it flew from his weapon and at the Yenta Pree. Veishan made a motion of his hand, and a new shield abruptly sprang into place, the rocket exploding harmlessly upon it. But even as that assault failed, Red XIII, a mass of snarling fury, leaped from behind the Yenta Pree and onto his back. The feline warrior brought the albino down, raking the opponent's back with his claws. Veishan screamed as the protector of Cosmo Canyon bit down on his shoulder, tearing a chunk of the sorcerer out of him. Lightning lanced from his body, and the furry beast was blasted off, letting out a yelp as he flew away and landed with a crash onto the walkway behind Veishan.

Cloud lifted his Materia once more, intent on dispelling the protections again, but a bolt of fire flared out and at Cloud's hand. The Soldier reflexively jerked his hand as the small flash struck him, dropping the Materia into the pit below.

Veishan made a contemptuous gesture at Red XIII, and blackness abruptly enveloped the feline's head, and Nanaki made a sudden cry as the darkness spell robbed him of his sight. Even as Cloud drew his sword and rushed forward in Red's defense, Veishan sprayed a wave of ice shards at the Soldier, who was forced to duck down.

Cloud straightened himself up again as the deadly blades passed over him, and looked to Veishan, whose hands were ablaze with electricity and had once more enacted a float spell over himself. Cloud's eyes widened, and he shouted, "Red! Jump!"

He had no time to warn Barret, but merely leaped from the walkway and grabbed onto the dangling chains as Veishan blasted the metal surface Cloud had been standing on with lightning, electrifying the entire path. Swinging about, the Soldier saw that Barret had taken a similar route and was holding onto a chain of his own desperately. Turning around, Cloud also saw that Red had blindly leaped from the pathway and splashed into the Mako below.

"You son of a bitch!" Cloud yelled.

Forcing his weight back and forth, Cloud swung from his position and slashed with his sword at the waiting Yenta Pree.

* * *

Aeris, staff in hands that were still smeared with Reeve's blood, walked resolutely from the elevator into Lower Junon, a small platoon of Shinra guards flanking her. At her side was Gerald. The man had promised not to interfere, but had also stated that should the situation arise, he would protect her with his life. On one level, Aeris was touched by the gesture. On another, she was mildly annoyed. The last thing she needed was another bodyguard. What would Cloud think?

She turned her thoughts to her blond-haired bodyguard, and wondered where Cloud was at that moment, and if he was all right. The thought was fleeting, abruptly pushed from her head as a loud crash sounded, and the Planet gave a small wrench in pain. Something tore at its surface, churning the earth and blackening a small portion of it. As she rushed from Lower Junon, her entourage following, she immediately saw the source. A metal heap, twisted and broken, lay strewn about the space between Junon and the army of the Tali Hishna. It smoldered and smoked, fires and electricity hissing from it.

"What is that?" Aeris found herself asking.

Gerald answered, "It looks like the Highwind, ma'am. I didn't think it was up and running yet, though. But then, that might explain why it's not up in the air."

Aeris frowned at Gerald. Her stomach felt as if a troupe of goblins was performing a large war party to chase the butterflies that had made their home there, and the Shinra soldier was cracking jokes. She didn't want to have to confront Rufus, or Ephain, much less both of them. But she would. She had to.

She resolutely continued forward, clenching her staff in both hands until her knuckles turned white. People came from their homes to investigate the crash, and a crowd began to form around the city entrance, forcing Aeris to have to push her way through. Once she found herself at the forefront, she saw her enemy. Rufus stood at the head of his army, striding purposefully towards Junon, Ephain at his side. She stepped forward and met his gaze. He stopped, smiled, and gave a mocking bow.

"Rufus Shinra," she called. "This place is barred to you."

Murmurs erupted from the crowd. The people may not have recognized him at first, but now that Aeris had named his, people began to realize who he truly was. And more importantly, that someone had defied him, told him something he could not do. Someone told a Shinra that he was unwelcome.

He straightened, and his face turned cold. "This is my city."

She moved closer to him, purposely brandishing her staff as a weapon. "It is yours no longer. Junon is a free city, a city of men. It is not for the Tali Hishna, or their dogs."

_I can't show him any mercy_, she thought to herself. _I can't risk being nice to him or showing sympathy or kindness. I have to be firm. I have to be steel. Steel is strong. Strength is life. If not for myself, then for everyone here._

"And you intend on fighting me?" Rufus asked contemptuously.

"Yes."

He nodded, then flung back his coat, revealing his shotgun, Murasame, and what appeared to be a megaphone that had seen better days. He casually unholstered his shotgun with his offhand, and drew his sword with his right. Aeris moved closer to him as he prepared himself.

The fight started with a bang.

It was only pure reflex that Aeris managed to tap into her Cetra magic and call forth a shield spell in time to block the shotgun blast. The shimmering barrier of white energy jolted with the impact, and even as she righted herself from being pushed back a few steps, Rufus was already charging at her, sword swinging. Aeris, a more seasoned fighter than her smiles and pink bows and flowers would belie, caught Rufus completely by surprise as she not only parried his overconfident strike and countered with three strikes to his ribs, two on the left, one on the right. The President of Shinra stumbled backwards, quickly reassessing the situation and clutching to his injuries as best he could with both hands encumbered. Ephain moved forward from her spot on the sidelines, but Rufus barked, "No! My fight! This is my proof to you, Ephain! My proof that I am for the Tali Hishna."

That brought the albino up short, and she took a step back, and motioned for the other Tali Hishna to do the same, the ones who had just begun to hover at the edges of battle. As long as Ephain commanded it, they would stay back, as would the Shinra soldiers on Aeris' side. Both sides would remain neutral. This was a fight between Rufus and Aeris alone.

The Cetra woman moved forward, pressing her offensive, attempting to finish the fight quickly before Rufus could think to bring his magic to bear. The man was unused to his powers. They weren't first or even second nature to him yet. He relied mostly on his gun, then his sword, and then his magic. But the overconfident man was attempting to use Murasame as his main weapon, having placed the shotgun in his offhand. Was he toying with her? Or was he trying to prove something to himself?

Even as she pushed her attack, Rufus began parrying her staff with both his sword and the barrel of his shotgun, moving them in harmony to block the two whirling ends of her staff. He was fast, faster than her. But she had more practical experience. Unfortunately for her as well, he also was filled with pure talent and cunning. As the two combatants pressed each other back and forth, Rufus unleashed a fire spell that impacted on her shield. The spell was apparently more for show than anything, because the field didn't waver at all as it had with the shotgun blast. It did, however, sufficiently distract her long enough for Murasame to slip past her defenses, carve open her shield, and clip her shoulder, tearing the fabric of her coat and dress, and slice neatly into her flesh. The wound began to bleed immediately, and Aeris stumbled backwards.

Legend had it that Sephiroth's Masamune never drew blood, and being a firsthand recipient of a wound from that blade, Aeris knew it to be true, despite how quickly it had ended. Legend also said that Godo's Murasame always drew blood, and more than it always had a right to. The blade hungered for violence. While Sephiroth was ice and calm and detached from battle, Godo had been fire, a fury and impassioned force of hatred for the rape Shinra had been performing on the land, and so it was reflected in their weapons. Both were just as deadly as its opposite, but both were deadly in their own way. Masamune delivered unbleeding wounds to its enemies that never healed entirely correctly, while Murasame delivered horrible, gory wounds that while could be healed, usually killed long before the opportunity arose.

And so it was that blood positively began to pour in near torrents from Aeris' wounded shoulder. Rufus followed through with the attack and delivered another cut to her leg, once more cutting both dress and flesh, and blood sprayed.

Rufus' shotgun lifted and pointed at her, and a shot fired. Even as it did, Aeris knew she was dead. Her shield weakened by Rufus' sword and previous shotgun blast, bleeding from her wounds, she was exposed and didn't have the time to put up a new barrier in the old one's place.

Blood sprayed her face, as the shot that should have killed her didn't hit her. It took a moment for her to figure out what had happened. Gerald stood in front of her, back to Rufus, a shocked expression on his face, his chest a bloody mess.

"Ma'am…" he said, and then fell forward.

* * *

Cloud's sword crashed against Veishan's shield, and the bubble surrounding the Yenta Pree shuddered under the impact. As the Soldier swung clear, Barret's gun-arm sprayed a barrage of bullets that struck at the albino sorcerer, and Veishan let out a growl of frustration.

"We are the Yenta Pree!" he called. "We are everything! Submit!"

"Oh, jes' shu' up!" Barret responded, continuing with his attack.

A wave of fire came from the Yenta Pree headed directly at Barret. The big man leaped from his chain and crashed bodily into the metal walkway, the entire thing shaking as he landed. The man grunted, but even as the Yenta Pree readied a new attack, Cloud swung in again and slashed against Veishan's shield once more. On Cloud's backswing away from the Yenta Pree, he raised his sword up and looked at the one green orb on the blade he knew he could depend on still. He focused his mind and spirit on it, concentrating perfectly, and uttered, "Ultima."

"No!" Veishan cried, lifting his hand in response.

Green energy poured out of the Materia, and a wave of red light came from the Yenta Pree's hand. Cloud watched in amazement as the red light pushed the Ultima spell back, forcing it back into the Materia orb, until the green energy was nothing but a sputtering from the small sphere. The force of the backfire of the spell sent Cloud hurtling from his chain. He was forced to drop Ultima Weapon and reach for the walkway as he fell, narrowly grabbing onto it. His arms jolted and groaned in protest, threatening to dislocate from the impact of the fall and sudden stop in motion. Ultima Weapon splashed down into the Mako below.

Veishan gave a laugh. "Your final defense is now locked. We have countered all of your accursed Cetra-borne magic. We are now unstoppable."

"The hell you are!" Barret said, sending a new wave of bullets at the Yenta Pree.

"You are but the only threat to us," the Yenta Pree said, lifting his arm and casting his next spell.

Barret moved to dodge, but he wasn't as agile as Cloud or Red XIII. The wave of white energy, a cone of pure cold, was directed at Barret's chest. He attempted to leap out of its path, and let out a loud scream as ice enveloped his right arm, freezing his gun-arm and flesh all the way to his shoulder.

Barret grabbed his frozen arm, clenching his face in pain and letting out a loud moan. Even as he did, Veishan gave a laugh of triumph and sent a bolt of lightning at Barret's frozen arm.

The scream that came from the man's lips as the arm shattered echoed throughout the entire reactor. Shards of ice that had once been the large man's appendage chinked on the walkway, falling between the cracks and off the edge and into the Mako. Barret collapsed in a groaning heap.

"We have won!" Veishan crowed. "We are victorious!"

"Not yet," Cloud growled, lifting himself up onto the walkway.

* * *

Vincent looked from Chaos to Dweir, his face incredulous. He did not doubt Chaos' claim that it could somehow merge with Dweir in much the same way it had once done with Vincent himself. It might make such a claim in order to taunt Vincent in a sense, but the way its eyes gleamed, the way it sat upon its throne-like rock, all bespoke honesty. It wanted Vincent to make a choice, to decide who would have the curse of Chaos. The man who wished nothing more than to be rid of it, or the man who would use such a curse as a weapon of impossible destruction.

The ex-Turk cast his gaze around the area, looking for Masamune. He'd grown accustomed to the weapon in the past few weeks, and had begun to look upon it as his best chance for survival. His fingers twitched, and Chaos made a sound. Vincent glanced up, and saw Chaos looking from Vincent to Masamune, a demonic smirk on his face.

"Vincent, _really_. I was you, you were me. Of course I know what you're planning. Rest assured, if you moved for the sword, I'd tear you limb from limb before you could reach it. Besides, without the ability to fly, do you really think you could wield it properly?"

The ex-Turk inwardly swore. His fingers had twitched. That had been his tell. It'd been one he'd always tried to rid himself of in his youth, something so painfully obvious to himself and anyone trained to recognize it. It was a rookie mistake, one he shouldn't have made. He had to get to the sword and somehow and manage to kill both Chaos and Dweir with it before either could react. Dweir would be easy to kill. He was still unconscious. But Chaos was another problem altogether. He was very much alert, and far more dangerous than Dweir could ever hope to be.

He slowly readjusted his sitting position to make himself comfortable and less threatening. As he did, he felt a weight press against his side. This time, his fingers didn't twitch. His eyes didn't widen in recognition. His lips didn't curl into the smallest of smiles. He was Vincent Valentine, ex-Turk, and he was in perfect control of his body and his tells. He wouldn't let Chaos know that he just remembered that he had Death Penalty.

He had completely forgotten he had it. Cloud had given it back to him in Cosmo Canyon, just before the fight with Dweir. And if he'd forgotten it, then odds were, Chaos had as well. The way the beast sat now, so confident, it seemed that the demon didn't have a care at all. And why shouldn't it be? Vincent's arm felt like pure agony, having just been relocated. He was battered, bruised, and despise all his Turk training, he was only a so-so melee combatant, preferring to rely on his gun to do his fighting for him. And Chaos knew all that.

Dweir made a groan, and began moving. Chaos' eyes eagerly darted to look upon the Yenta Pree. In that one second, Vincent shot his arm under his black robe and drew Death Penalty, instantly squeezing off two rounds. Even in as much pain as his arm was, his aim was ever perfect. The demon's head snapped back as both bullets took an eye, forcing the demon off his throne and onto the ground. Chaos let out a howl of pain, mixed with anger, clutching at his face as he rolled about.

Vincent slowly stood up and walked to his fallen enemy. "You are my sin. You are my punishment. But I have suffered enough. I don't need you anymore. Goodbye, Chaos."

He aimed once more, this time for the beast's heart. And then grunted in pain as a blast of fire took him in the hand, knocking the gun out of his grasp. He stumbled back a bit, clutching at his hand, which had just been burned with a fireball, and looked to Dweir, who was just beginning to stand, the remnants of flames still dancing at his fingertips.

"I heard everything," the Yenta Pree said. "He offers you power and you reject it?"

"He offers me nothing but his curse," Vincent spat back.

"Power is never a curse. Power is power, a means to an end, the end being more power. The demon offers me this power if you reject him, and so you have."

"And how will you merge with Chaos?" Vincent asked. "He was made for me. The two of you could never be together. He wasn't created to inhabit you."

Dweir smirked, his pale, red eyes glimmering with amusement. "Simple. It took me a moment to figure it out, but I think the demon wishes access into my mind through my Link with the other Yenta Pree. In a sense, he'll be cutting me off from Veishan and Ephain, but at the same time, allowing me access to him, but in a far deadlier way. We will become one, a Demonic Mage, and then we will rule supreme."

"Not if I can stop you," Vincent said.

"But you can't," Dweir responded, and ran, diving for the writhing figure of Chaos.

* * *

"Gerald!" Aeris cried out, and Ephain couldn't help but smirk. This was it. This was victory. Rufus had fought the Ancient in the name of the Tali Hishna, and he had won. She would be dead, too, if not for the soldier who had thrown himself in front of her. It didn't matter now. It was only a matter of time now.

The soldier fell to the ground in a heap, and Aeris bent over him, chanting ancient Cetra the entire time. A soft breeze picked up in the air, circling around the dying man, coalescing into a green and blue energy. But nothing happened. The man was far too gone. He gave a shudder, reached a hand up, touched the Ancient's cheek, and then fell limp.

Rufus stood over the scene and slowly lifted his shotgun once more, aiming it at Aeris. But even as he did, his hand shook, and the barrel of the weapon twitched with indecision and hesitation.

Ephain snarled, "Just finish her already! Kill her!"

Rufus lowered his gun, and then turned to her. "I can't."

"And why not? Are you choosing her? Her over me? Me, who accepted you, taught you, took you with open arms to my bed? Or her, the one who rejected you? Would you in turn reject me like she did to you?"

"You mean like Jenova did to you with Sephiroth? How she chose her genetically created son over her chosen people?"

"Don't you _dare_ mention his name in my presence. That freak was not one of us. The fact that Mother chose him over us was an insult. But you… you could be one of us. Please, Rufus, just kill the Cetra witch, kill her, and we can be together, we'll rule the world together, in Mother's name!"

"Jenova is dead!" Rufus spat, moving towards her, turning his back on Aeris completely. "Avalanche killed her. Don't pretend like you don't know!"

Ephain stopped for a moment, and looked at the increasingly angry force of Tali Hishna surrounding herself. Now of all times she regretted bringing the fanatics of her people here. They were supposed to do the dying in this campaign so the ones more willing to accept news of Jenova's death lived on. She looked to them, glanced back at Aeris, who was still desperately trying to heal the dead Gerald, and then looked to Rufus, casting one last glance to the Tali Hishna. "Back! Get back! He speaks lies and I will not have you hear them!"

The Tali Hishna, angry with Rufus, began moving back, out of hearing distance. Even if she raised her voice at Rufus now, they wouldn't hear anything.

"Why won't you just kill her?" Ephain asked. "Is it so hard? Can't you do it for me?"

Rufus shook his head, sheathing his weapons. "I… can't."

"She can't help you with your Empire. Not like I can," Ephain growled. "Is it her beauty? Do you like your women with colour? Is that it? Then take her before you kill her if you wish to dally with her. I don't care. As a matter of fact, I think I'd enjoy watching seeing the bitch suffer all the more."

Rufus moved close, his eyes turning to ice, until the two were almost touching, only inches separating the distance between them. "I won't kill her because even though she doesn't love me, I love her. Not for what she looks like. Not because of her power, or what she can offer me. But because she is innocent. Out of all the people in the world, she is the only one I could ever truly trust."

"And you can't trust me?" Ephain asked indignantly.

"No," Rufus said simply.

"And why not?" she yelled. "What is it about her that you trust so much, but you can't find in me, the woman who accepted you?"

"You know that Jenova's dead. You know it! Don't try to deny it. You claim you can speak with her. And yet you say she's alive. Why? To fool your own troops? To give them morale?"

"Jenova is alive!"

Rufus' face turned icy. "And that is why I can never trust you."

He turned from her, his face a look of disgust as he did. He was rejecting her. Like Mother had rejected her. Like Veishan was probably doing right now with his silence over the Link. She couldn't be rejected again. Never again!

She grabbed his arm, pulling him back around to face her. He jerked himself from her grasp, and she flinched, but he didn't turn back. He stared at her, and one hand grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to him. Something pressed against her chest, and he growled at her.

"Tell me, now, or I will leave you right now for her."

Panicked, filled with a mixture of fear of being left again, having someone chosen over her once again, she felt tears streaming down her eyes. She couldn't let Rufus leave her. She was offended he'd even suggest it, but at the moment, she was desperate to keep him, to make him never leave her. She wailed, giving herself over to her heart, "Mother is dead! It was Veishan's idea, but we went along with it, both of us. We gave Strife a weapon, one we found in the wreckage of your once great city, one powerful enough to kill Mother. We expected him to do it, and we watched to make sure the deed was done! If we couldn't do it, we had planned to finish Mother off ourselves after the battle. Veishan wanted power! He said that if we moved against Mother, we'd be the ones our people would worship! We'd be the next Gods! Dweir wanted the power, too, but I just wanted revenge! Mother chose Sephiroth over us, and then Sephiroth killed her! It was all so fitting! I hated her so much. We were her chosen, but we were not her champions! So we killed her! And damn you, don't you choose that Cetra witch over me!"

She looked into Rufus' eyes, drawing in ragged breaths. She'd been screaming, she knew. But she was so afraid of being abandoned once more, being left behind, being looked over for someone else. She would have Rufus Shinra, she would!

But even as she gazed into his eyes, she saw the coldness settle in, the disgust slip into them. And then she heard the collective moan slip through the army of the Tali Hishna. And she realized, despite all her screaming, despite her telling them to move back and out of hearing distance, they had still somehow heard it all.

Rufus pushed her firmly away, and the pressure that had been on her chest came away as he lifted the shell-like object, the thing he had called a 'megaphone', and brandished it in front of him. The glowing red lines on his face disappeared, the mark of Blood Letting gone.

Her gut felt like it had just been punched.

"Damn you," she whispered, knowing she had been deceived. How long? Had he just come up with this plan? Had he planned on betraying her since the fight with Aeris? Or had this been planned all along? Had he used her? She managed to say quietly, yet harshly, almost spitting out the words, "I loved you."

"I didn't."

And with that, Rufus Shinra turned from her, walking away and towards Aeris. She made as if to move towards him, and stopped. She looked behind her, at her own army, angry at her admission, drawing weapons. Zeal filled their eyes, a bitter need for revenge consuming them. She didn't even cast a spell in her defense as she sank to her knees, her own army charging in to kill her.

* * *

Cloud stood tall and resolutely, staring Veishan down. Weaponless, with no allies, and magic that didn't work at all, the Soldier had never felt more resolute or stronger in his life. He would win here. Not because he was invincible, or not because Veishan, while powerful, was flawed. He would win because he had to, and that was all that was ever enough.

Veishan hovered above the walkway, his shield flickering. The spell was only finite, but it was still barely in place. Still the Yenta Pree seemed overconfident, assured of his victory.

"You have no weapon, no magic," Veishan called. "Tell us. What is a warrior without his tools of violence? Are you still a warrior?"

"No," Cloud answered.

Veishan made a grunted that sounded both amused and satisfied, and lifted a hand. A fireball flew forward, but Cloud sprinted forward, dodging ahead and out of the bolt's path. Veishan made as if to cast an ice attack, but stopped, a confused expression coming over his face. "What? Where is… Dweir? No!"

Whatever had happened, Cloud was glad to hear it. Apparently the source of Veishan's ability to fire off deadly ice spells was now gone. He readied himself, preparing to leap from the platform and onto the chains once more to dodge the lightning attack. He glanced at Barret and winced. The large man wouldn't be able to be saved in time from this one. The ex-Soldier winced, and changed his mental plan to dive to Barret and try to carry the man and get to the chains at the same time in order to dodge the lightning. He wouldn't be able to make it, but he saw no other option in the threat of Veishan's lightning attack.

It never came. And not from lack of trying. Veishan lifted his hand once more, tried to summon the spell, and was once more met with failure. "Ephain?" he called. "Are you not with … I'm alone? I am… I? Not us?"

Veishan appeared to be in a panic, and Cloud took full advantage. He moved to stand by Barret, who lay groaning on the ground. Cloud quickly inspected the wound, and saw that the ice had prevented any bleeding from the large man's exposed shoulder.

"Don't worry, Barret, I'm going to get you to a doctor as soon as I'm done with Veishan here."

"Picks…" Barret growled through his pain. "Take … 'em, spike."

The blonde warrior looked to Barret's belt, and saw the two mattocks that Barret had carried with him while he'd been without his gun-arm. Now, there they were, unused but still readied for battle. Cloud yanked them both of out of their straps and brandished them. He wasn't used to the weight, and Veishan was out of reach to use them effectively, but they were still something.

Veishan was beginning to talk to himself, ranting quietly, and Cloud caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked down, and saw Red XIII doing a cross between swimming and floundering in the pool of Mako. Apparently he was alive and well, but he would need to be pulled out of there soon, or he could be in trouble.

"Veishan!" Cloud yelled, hefting his mattocks, and looking at the shield surrounding his enemy, timing the flickering. "I may not be a warrior, but I know what I am!"

The Yenta Pree was barely paying attention, but Cloud continued anyway. "I am a Soldier!"

He cast an arm back and flung it forward, throwing the first mattock. Veishan saw it coming and lifted a hand, a blast of fire taking it out of the air, but the second mattock immediately followed it. Veishan attempted to cast a spell at it, failed, and attempted another one. That failed as well. The mattock slammed directly into Veishan's eye, the large metal spike sinking deeply into the Yenta Pree's skull.

An unearthly scream erupted from Veishan's lips, and he fell backwards, tumbling out of the sky and towards the pit of Mako. As he fell, his body slowly turned grey, crumbling in the air, falling to pieces, falling to ash.


	69. Epiloge I: Tifa

Epilogue One

Tifa

Tifa drove her motorcycle forward through the remaining ranks of the Tali Hishna, Graehan behind her. He no longer clutched desperately to her, but wielded his two swords in unison, slashing out at all opponents as they rode by them. The man was in a perfect battle calm, no longer terrified of the machine or Tifa's driving.

The Battle of Fort Condor was short, barely lasting an hour. It was a massacre. While the people of Kalm and the refugees of Midgar offered little in the way of military expertise or weaponry or training, they more than made up for it with the ability to simply run down opponents using their trucks and cars. There was little fighting at all. Infantry armed with swords were simply crushed under the tires of vehicles. Conventional warfare was no longer an issue. The Tali Hishna were simply outmatched.

As the last of the Tali Hishna fell, Graehan sheathed his swords and resumed his panic at Tifa's driving, clutching frantically at her and demanding she stop at once. She gave a laugh and did so, letting the motorcycle squeal to a halt in front of the small bulk that was the Red Wings.

Hopping from the motorcycle, Tifa looked to Rude, who stood shirtless and without his sunglasses. The man was bloodied and bruised, but seemed all right. She smiled, and he stood impassively, no expression marring his face at all. She laughed again and rushed to him, flinging her arms about him. He wrapped his around her and swung her about once, lifting her off the ground, then settled her down.

"You could at least smile," she accused.

"I am smiling. Can't you tell?" he said with a perfectly straight face.

She rolled her eyes. She couldn't quite read him as well as he thought she could, and she wasn't sure if he was being honest or if he was making fun of her. Rude gave a glance to Graehan, than back to her, and Tifa knew what that meant. _What is he doing here?_

"His name's Graehan. He's with me," she answered. "He decided to help. More for the fight if not outright loyalty to humanity or our cause."

Rude nodded once, then extended a hand to Graehan. The Tali Hishna looked at it, frowned, shrugged, then clasped onto it, and the two briefly shook hands.

"I'd like to fight you one day, bald one," Graehan said.

Rude snorted. Tifa knew that one, too. _Well, if you want to die that badly…_

She hoped it was sarcastic. She said to Rude, "So, what happened while I was gone?"

"We won," Rude said.

Tifa answered, "I can see that. Anything else?"

"No."

She rolled her eyes again, hugged him once more, then said to Graehan. "Well, since he's being uncooperative, like always, what will you be doing?"

He shrugged. "I killed my own people. I betrayed the Tali Hishna for the sake of a good fight. In theory, I can't go home ever again."

"In theory?" Tifa asked.

"Well, all the fanatics here who saw me fight them are all dead. So there's no one to tell anyone else what I did. I figure I'm safe. I'll return home. My people need a leader, and I believe I'm as good a candidate as any. Unless my other fellow Triad member, Crya, is still alive."

Rude said, "She's dead."

Graehan nodded. "I had figured as much. She wanted to face you on the battlefield almost as much as I did. And since you're still here…"

Tifa interrupted, "What if someone escaped this battle? What if someone makes it back to your people and tells them that you killed your own?"

"Then I'll kill him."

"And if everyone turns against you? How will you become leader of your own people then?"

Graehan smirked and turned away. As he walked into the sunrise, he answered, "Then I guess I'll just have to take leadership by force."


	70. Epilogue II: Vincent

Epilogue Two

Vincent

Vincent clutched as his dislocated arm, stumbling through the mountainous terrain and towards Corel. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that the town was once more repopulated. It was a feeling. He had to get there quickly, and spread the word. Everything might depend on it.

As he approached the town, he began to make out elements of Wutaian samurai, Rocket Town militia, and the combined force of Cosmo Canyon, Corel and Gold Saucer. The people looked battered, but happy. The sounds of victory came from them all, celebration and cheer of what Vincent could only assume was the defeat of the Tali Hishna. How little they knew that victory was the furthest thing from what had happened today.

As the ex-Turk approached, people began to recognize him. Half cheered at the sight of him, glad to see their 'angel' returned to them. The other half asked where his wings were, asked if he was all right. Vincent ignored them, moving forward, looking for Cloud.

It didn't take too long to find the Soldier. As word spread of the 'angel's' arrival, Cloud heard it and came looking. The two met up in the middle of the shantytown, and the ex-Soldier moved to intercept Vincent.

"You're alive!" he called. "I take it you killed Dweir?"

"No," came Vincent's response.

"What?" Cloud asked, shock covering his face. "What happened?"

"We need to talk somewhere private," the ex-Turk said.

Cloud looked as if he were about to protest, then apparently thought better of it and merely nodded. "I'll take you to the medical tent. Barret and Red XIII are resting in there. Both took bad injuries during the fight with Veishan."

Vincent nodded. That was to be expected. "Is Veishan dead?"

Cloud gave Vincent a cold look. "Is that all you have to ask? 'Is Veishan dead?' Of course he's dead. But that's not what you should be concerned about."

"You're right," Vincent said as the two of them stepped into the medical tent. "It isn't. Dweir-"

He stopped as he looked at his surroundings in the tent. Red XIII lay on a cot, bandaged up and his eyes staring blankly at the canvas wall. Barret lay in a bed next to him, a breather mask over his face, bandages covering the socket where a shoulder followed by an arm should have been.

"What happened?" Vincent asked. "Will… they be all right?"

"You should have asked that first," Cloud said bitterly. "But yes, they're going to pull through. Red took some Mako poisoning, but he'll recover in a couple days. Barret's not doing so well. Veishan took his arm. The doctors have looked it over, and the Rocket Town engineers even came down and checked him out. They said they might be able to outfit him with a new artificial arm, but they're not sure. That kind of operation was only done in Midgar, and with the state of that city… well, they don't have a specialist, or even plans on how to make an artificial arm like the one Barret had."

"What about the arm he used in place of the gun-arm? Will that suffice?"

Cloud shook his head. "It's make-shift blue prints to them only. That arm hooked into Barret's elbow. He's missing his entire arm now. The whole thing would need to be replaced."

Vincent drew in a breath and nodded. He regretted not thinking of his companions first, but other things mattered right now. "Cloud… we need to talk."

"About what?"

"It's about Chaos. And Dweir."


	71. Epilogue III: Elena

Epilogue Three

Elena

Elena sat at the table, a completely calm expression on her face, blanked of all emotions. She wouldn't let her feelings show. She wouldn't. Not after all this. She had to keep it all buried, had to hide it from the world, not let anyone know what was going on in her head.

"Elena?" Reno asked, staring at her from the other side of the table. "You good?"

"Yeah," she said.

"You better be," he said, "because I'm sportin' three jacks!"

The Turk slapped his hand of cards down on the table, so much so that the chips in the pot clattered about and fell from their neat little stacks. Yuffie groaned, and Reeve made a disgusted noise. Both laid down their hands to reveal only a pair of aces from the Wutaian princess and two pair from the newly restored Shinra executive.

Elena smirked, and slowly spread her hand out in front of her. Four Queens revealed, she gave a squawk of victory and pulled all the chips in the pot towards her.

"Well, fuck," Reno said. "You know, I don't get to kill Trask. I don't get to kill Hojo. I find out there was a godamn _war_ going on that I didn't get to kill _anyone_ in while I was trying to get _you_," he pointed an accusing finger at Reeve, "back into your body, which I didn't even do, and to top it all off, the godamn _rookie _is cleaning house at _my_ poker table. Where's the damn justice?"

"Oh _please_," Yuffie said. "You're happy and you know it. Any word from the taxidermist?"

"Yeah. Apparently he's gonna charge me extra for preserving a human head. I tried to explain to him that Trask was an evil son of a snake, but he wouldn't take that. Oh well. I'm still putting his damn head on my wall. But that's not the damn point. I'm offended that _Elena_ beat me all night long at poker!"

"She's got one hell of a poker face," Reeve said.

"More like a poker gut," Reno said. "Have you seen how much food she's been taking into her room recently?"

"Let's just say I'm good at hiding what I'm thinking and feeling," Elena said, ignoring Reno's comment and gathering up her chips. She smiled wistfully. "I'm done for the night. I think I'll go to bed now."

"Oh come on!" Reno said, "Me and Yuffs were going to head to the movies, figured you could join us."

"Thanks," Elena said, "but I wouldn't want to get in the way of your date."

The redhead made a gagging noise at the word 'date', and Yuffie softly blushed, but Elena waved a little, exiting the roomwith a small bag of chips in tow.

"I'll see you to your room," Reeve offered as he joined her.

Elena's heart jumped for just a moment, but she let it settle, and tried not to think about it. The two walked in silence down the hall outside of the Turk offices towards the barracks where her, Reno and Yuffie were currently staying. They normally operated out of an apartment complex in Midgar, but with that city destroyed…

"How're you holding up?" Reeve asked.

She sighed. She knew the question would come. 'How do you feel after you had to kill Tseng?' Everyone knew how she felt about him. Mostly because Reno didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. But just like with the poker table, she didn't let how she felt or what she was thinking show, even as the memories slipped through her.

Tseng had fallen, and she'd been partly responsible. For one moment of clarity, he'd become who he was for just one second. And in that second, he'd let go and tumbled to his doom, thereby saving the blonde Turk from her own death.

_As Elena climbed down the rock face, still bloodied from her fight, looking for the body, she mused at the selfishness of her quest. Up above, Reno could be fighting Trask and dying for all she knew, but for the moment, Elena didn't care. Reno wasn't important, Trask wasn't important, Hojo wasn't important. None of it was. Just Tseng._

_An explosion racked the air from what she would later learn was the Highwind exploding. She stumbled, fell down the rocky face, and barely managed to recover. And as she did, there, on the beach below, she saw him…_

"I'm okay," she lied.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" she growled, a little more harshly than she intended. Reeve flinched, but nodded.

The two continued on in silence until they finally stopped at her door, and Reeve said, "I guess this is your stop."

"It is. Good night, Reeve."

"Good night, Elena," he said. He grabbed her hand, lifted it, and kissed her on a knuckle. It took all that was in her not to jerk away. Not in revulsion, but more out of fear of hurting Reeve in the long run. But he didn't know. He could never know. No one could.

He turned away, and she pulled her keys from her pocket, slid them into the lock, and opened the door. As soon as it opened, she hurriedly jumped inside, shut the door behind her, and slapped the lock back into place, followed by the deadbolt, and lastly the chain. She'd just had the chain and deadbolt installed, and not out of fear of thieves, but out of fear of her friends. Not that those would stop them in they really wanted into her quarters, but it would deter them.

She moved about her quarters, turning on lights as she did, and was thankful that there were no windows so no one would be able to see in. She moved to her bed, and then pulled out a med pack she'd stolen from the infirmary earlier that day. She would have ordered one, but it would have looked suspicious. Why would she need one? She'd only sustained minimal injuries.

She moved around the pile of suits and shoes that had once been inside of her walk-in closet. She'd needed the room for something more important. Opening up the door to the closet, she entered, and sighed.

He still had the same dead expression in his eyes, but his wounds were healing. Whatever Hojo had done to him made him able to regenerate unbelievably fast. She'd had to tie him down with chains, but he never made any attempt to escape or resist. Merely sat there and watched her as she tended his wounds and fed him.

"Oh Tseng," she said. "What am I going to do?"


	72. Epilogue IV: Reeve

Epilogue Four

Reeve

As Reeve walked from Elena's room, he sighed. He had never really given his chances with her to be that good to begin with, but recently she seemed to be purposely shutting him out. He supposed he shouldn't take offence. Reno had noted it a time or two as well. She was apparently doing it to everyone.

So it wasn't a rejection. Not of him anyway. Ever since Tseng's death, second death that was, she'd distanced herself from everyone. Especially since she'd gone looking for his body and never found it. It had probably been swept in by the ocean or eaten by who knew what kind of Mako monster roaming the beach side.

Reeve walked slowly to his office, a slight spring in his step despite everything. He had his body back, although he wasn't sure how. Something Aeris had done to him. Although he hadn't been able to question her about it. He remembered the last time he saw her, walking away in the closest thing he'd seen to her in a fury.

Reeve, Reno and Yuffie raced to the Junon gates. The soldier who told them of an enemy army and Rufus' betrayal of them had been frantic, saying something about Aeris gone to confront the army on his own. Reno couldn't have seemed to care less at first, but once Yuffie started dragging him and Reeve mentioned a potential mission with double pay, that had gotten the Turk to start moving.

_The three stumbled out to the front gates to see Aeris clutching a dead body and Rufus moving towards her as an army of albinos swarmed someone over. It was chaos, and Reeve didn't even pretend to understand what was going on. But as Reeve moved closer, he heard the dead body speak._

"_Did we fool 'em?"_

"_Yes, Lieutenant, we did," Rufus responded._

_Aeris gave a start, looking from the dead body to Rufus and back again. "You're alive?"_

"_Of course I am, ma'am," the soldier said. "Rufus never shot me. It was all illusion."_

"_Illusion?" Aeris asked incredulously._

_Rufus said, "Ephain told me that Cetra gain access to a particular school of magic at a point in their own growth. Some keep their healing magic, some become masters of time and space, people in touch with the world around them control their surroundings, people with deceptive natures gain illusion magic, and warriors gain black magic. Out of all those, you assumed I was closest to a black mage? That I would gain the Mark of Blood Letting?"_

_Reeve scratched his head, but didn't want to interfere or say anything. He'd get his answers later. Reno, however, wasn't so patient, and with a comment that sounded very much like "Fuck this," the Turk wandered off, Yuffie trailing along behind him._

"_But… you planned all of this? Switching sides, pretending to kill Gerald, revealing Ephain?"_

"_Not everything. I admit the megaphone was a godsend, but more or less. I had a dream, sent to me by the Planet. In it, my father appeared, and told me to 'Fight like a Shinra.' The Shinra family fights with lies and betrayal, petty scheming and backstabbing. It was the only way we could win. The dream told me about the Mark of Blood Letting, and how I could use illusion to make it look like I had it. From there, all I had to do was make it look like I switched sides."_

_Aeris stood up abruptly, shoving the soldier from her as she did. She stormed up to Rufus, staff in hand, and slammed the end across his temple. The President of Shinra collapsed in a heap. Aeris walked off, straight-backed and one fist clenched around Princess Guard._

_Reeve hurried to Rufus' side, who mumbled, "I didn't think she'd actually hit me."_

Reeve was still unsure what had happened there, even after Rufus had explained the whole situation, but he knew what he needed to know. Rufus was back in control of Shinra, and he had made noises about making amends. Aeris was back in Kalm, and apparently the rest of Avalanche, save Yuffie and himself, were headed there to meet her. The Tali Hishna had retreated back to their caverns. From there, no one knew their fate.

Reeve stepped into his office, and saw the red light blinking on his answering machine. It was probably from the same soldier who had feigned death to make Rufus' betrayal seem more real, Lieutenant Knox. He moved towards the machine, but stopped at hearing Rufus' voice.

"Reeve," Rufus called.

Reeve turned to face the man, who was still sporting a nasty lump on the side of his head. Materia was once again working again, but Rufus had purposely gone out of his way to not see to the injury. Reeve suspected the main sought some sort of penance for his deception of Aeris.

"Yes, sir?"

"I just wanted to tell you… there will be a board meeting tomorrow morning about the Neo Midgar project."

"Understood, sir."

Rufus nodded once, then left. Things were still strained between them, Rufus having similarly lied to Reeve in the past as he had done with Aeris. It was all that Rufus seemed to be able to offer to the world. Lies. Deception. Betrayal.

Turning once more to the answering machine, Reeve hit the button and sat down in his chair.

"Vice President Reeve, this is Lieutenant Gerald Knox. We have concluded our salvage of the Highwind, specifically looking for what you requested. And… uh, sir. There seems to be no sign whatsoever of the Cait Sith doll. We believe it may have been thrown clear of the explosion, and we are currently…"

Reeve stopped listening. His fists clenched, and he ground his teeth. So, the Cait Sith doll was still out there. With Hojo still in charge. There was no telling what Hojo might do now, if he was still alive. And without a body to confirm it, Reeve feared very much that Hojo was still alive.

"Well, fuck."

Author's Note:

And so Promised Empire ends. Did you _really_ think it would end here, folks? Yes, I'm going to do my prequel Fighting For a Promise. Yes, I am doing Final Trinity (Duo? See the Message Board for details). One day I'll even finish Fallen Knight. But for now, I'm going to rest for a bit, then begin Final Trinity (Or Duo. Whatever : P)

As I did with PE, I will now list various things that got changed.

1. Barret was supposed to die in Cosmo Canyon, not Dio.

2. Reeve would never get his body back. He would succeed in pushing Hojo out of his body, but not be able to put his own mind back in. The Cait Sith body would later be destroyed, with Reeve's life essence floating down into the Lifestream. Reeve would have ended up a vegetable at the end of this fic.

3. Tseng was supposed to be alive "all along," having faked his death at the Temple of the Ancients. He was supposed to be in Fort Condor where Rude would then meet him and fight alongside him. This was scrapped because I didn't like rewriting FF continuity. Too much. Don't start with me with Rufus killing his father instead of Sephiroth.

4. Cloud was supposed to die fighting Veishan. Rufus would then make his move on Aeris at the end of the fic, but she would instead find comfort in the arms of Vincent. Scrapped just like ideas one and two because I decided that SFtPO was too mopey and sad at the end, and I didn't want to end PE on a similar note.

5. This was originally not supposed to be a cliffhanger. PE was supposed to be the last fic in the series. Then, to be a total ass, I thought, "Hey, what if I have Chaos become the bad guy for a new fic?" and then adapted that for the Promised Series. Tseng, Hojo and possibly Graehan (Don't know whether or not to keep him around) followed as future plot ideas.

And that's it folks. Stick a fork in me. I'm done. Sorry it took so long to finish this. I could offer a wide variety of excuses, but I'm too godamn tired right now. Hope you enjoyed the fic. Remember to review please.


End file.
